Giving In
by Radical Bella
Summary: Its been a year since Will and Emma last kissed, a number of close-calls have built up yet neither has taken action because life keeps unexpectedly getting in the way. What happens when opportunity strikes in the most unlikely place?
1. Waiting for the Moment

**a/n: We bring you a new baby to enjoy, read, speculate, and review of course! Hope you enjoy this multi-chapter fic because it only gets more exciting :)**

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It had been a year since the worlds of Will Schuester and Emma Pillsbury had collided. Some speculated it had been coming on for a while, others had no idea, but no one expected what had really happened.

_Will had finally gone for it with Emma last year in the fall after the kids had won Sectionals when he realized he was in love with her. It took her standing there crying in that wedding dress telling him she felt "heartbroken" being around him that really struck him. He had just ended things with Terri but the divorce papers hadn't been signed by anybody, yet. _

_Emma was ready to leave and hoped she wouldn't have to see Will because it was going to be that much harder to walk away. The rational side of her brain told her that he grabbed her arm in a moment of desperation because they were best friends and he didn't want to lose the one person who was his biggest fan…but the other part, her heart, hoped and begged for his feelings to finally match hers after two years of longing. _

_Sucking in a deep breath, she headed down the hallway stopping in the light of the window to see through watery eyes that maybe things would work out. Tomorrow was a new day, and a new start…she wiped away the lone tear sliding down her cheek when she looked down the hallway and saw a familiar face._

_Will…_

_He ran up to her, took the box, and Emma watched breathlessly as he put a finger to her mouth before taking her in his arms for a sweet kiss. She watched his lips move towards her knowing nothing good could come from this – but she couldn't stop him and she knew her body wouldn't let her anymore. She gave in to his embrace and kissed him back, involuntarily grabbing at his arms to hold him as close as she could almost pinching him to see if he was really in front of her right now…_

_And that was enough to give her a glimmer of hope to continue waiting for her one and only real love._

_After Will pulled away and waited for her reaction, she took a moment but finally opened her eyes to find him staring with a mix of excitement and worry. She told him that she wanted this too, but that he should figure his life out first and continued rambling until he attempted to pull her in for another kiss and this time she touched her finger to his lips. _

"_Let's wait, Will…would you wait for me?"_

_And so he did. _

_But to both of their dismay, life it seemed, took a hold of their lives and shook them around like it always seemed to. And he was still waiting._

One year later…

Terri had finally been out of Will's life for good after a grueling divorce and with the win of Sectionals for a second consecutive year, he knew just the person he wanted to take on the trip to Regional's in Chicago.

The last bell of the day finally rang and Will rushed out of his classroom to catch Emma before she headed home. He knew she enjoyed getting home early on Thursdays to start cooking and have her weekly house cleaning done in time for the local news show.

He let out a breath of relief as he saw her still moving around in her office to clean off the remnants of sweaty kids in the opposite chair of her desk. Without realizing it, he lingered his gaze on her pencil skirt tightening as she bent over to wipe down the seat.

It became clear to Will that he'd wait as long as he needed for Emma to be his. She was the only one he wanted in his life, the only one he ever wanted to wake up with, and the only one he'd love to father a child with someday…it was always 'someday' with Will.

He snapped out of his trance when she turned around spotting him through the glass windows and waved him in.

"Hey Em, I—I'm glad I caught you because I really wanted to ask you something,"

Emma's eyes widened as she slowly nodded for him to go on.

_Oh god, oh god, here it is…finally…oh god Will of course I want to go out with you, c'mon just ask me, please—_

"I was thinking, since the kids are going up to Chicago for Regional's, that…maybe you'd like to come along with me?"

Will watched as her face slightly fell and tried to recover.

"—I mean it's only a weekend thing, ac-actually not even a weekend. M-more like a day, just the one day really. We were going to drive up early, perform, and be back before…before it gets too late."

He watched her eyes that seemed to be racing at a million miles a minute and her head nodded to the side while she licked at her lips like she always does—

"I—I'd love to, Will."

He smiled a genuine smile figuring he'd take a day with Emma even if she didn't seem too excited to spend her Saturday with him and Glee club.

Emma flashed back a similar smile, thinking she could take a day with Will anytime. Maybe a few hints at being open to a relationship could finally give him the push to do _something._

* * *

It was Saturday morning and Will was waiting on all of the kids to arrive while he sat shivering in front of the bus. He glanced down at his watch then looked back up to find Emma heading towards him.

She was wearing her usual bow shirts that Will also thought were adorable. Paired with a plaid forest green and black pea coat and a pencil skirt, Emma was shivering from the absence of the warmth of her car. She'd actually arrived before Will but decided to wait until he got out.

"G—g—good morning, W—Will," she barely got out as her lips shook from the frozen slap of the morning air.

"Emma! God, you must be freezing! C'mere"

Will motioned for her to come closer and when she quickly shook her head he moved up behind her. He reached out and grabbed her gloved hands pulling them down as he hugged her from behind. Of course he didn't want to see her cold, but really he just saw it as an opportunity to have her body next to his. He longed for it more everyday and cherished every little moment she'd let him move close to touch her and not allow anyone else.

Emma jumped as he had wrapped his arms around her and told her she shouldn't be wearing pencil skirts in 14-degree weather. His breath tickled behind her ear and she closed her eyes momentarily imagining that this wasn't just about trying to stay warm. Emma moved back slightly into his body, and her mind drifted to the last time they were this close as they swayed slowly together waiting…

_4 months…4 months since Will and Terri had finally ended their disputes and signed the papers. It was almost May and the only thing keeping Will sane from Terri's antics of reliving their glory days by putting on her old Cheerios uniform was the one girl he knew that he was really waiting for. _

_Will walked into her office hoping to see her and tell her the news when he found her chair empty. _

_That's odd…she's always still here right after school for at least 30 minutes to avoid all the dirty kids after a school day.._

_He took a few steps down one of the back way teacher halls near an exit and found Emma curled into a ball with her knees tucked under her skirt outside and her elbows resting on her knees with her hands pulled up to her face sitting against the wall…on the floor! She never touched the floors, EVER. Will ran towards her knowing something was very, very wrong and as he got closer he heard small whimpers growing louder as she cried._

"_Em-Emma," he touched her shoulder hesitantly and she didn't look up for a moment. He wasn't moving though; he'd wait until she was ready to talk like she'd done for him so many times so he sat on the floor next to her for another 5 minutes before he finally heard the sobbing slow to a stop._

_She looked up, still feeling his warm hand on her back, and tried to smile through the tears brimming at her eyes._

"_W—Will, oh..."_

_And with those few words, or one word really, she ducked her head back down and began crying again, louder this time. Will moved his hands to pull her towards him and she clung to him immediately wrapping her arms around him and burying her head into his chest._

"_It…it'll be alright Em, just, just breathe, ok…"_

_As Emma came more to her senses, she realized how close she was to Will now and…and that she was now sitting on the cold, dirty floor. But she didn't care about the floor, not even now. It was too painful to even think about the germs and messes in her life right now so she blocked it out. Taking a shaky breath before pulling away, she retreated from Will slowly moving her arms back to her sides and faced forward._

_Will observed her completely different demeanor. He'd never seen Emma look so sad and broken, and…on the floor. Her mascara was running down her cheeks and her hair had been ruffled and messed with now._

_Without moving anything, Emma finally spoke up._

"_I—I got…,"_

_She took in another shaky breath, it needed to be said._

"…_I got a call.. today. F—from my momma a—and…daddy passed away this morning…"_

_Her voice cracked as she barely got the words out and the crying started up again._

_Will's mouth gaped open for a moment because he knew how close Emma had been to her father. He was the only one who truly understood her phobia growing up and always tried to help her by doing little experiments and trying to get her to forget about the germs. He'd take her to the park and make her get on the merry-go-round and spin the bouncing little red head around until she let go of the fears as she'd put hers arm out like she was flying…or on easy days, he'd take her to the Renaissance Museums that Emma loved as a child. They were clean, quiet, and simple. He understood her and she loved him._

_Will pulled her into him this time and her head rested on his chest as she eased into him and they both faced forward looking at the lockers across from them. He looked down at her as her breathing slowed and closed her eyes from the emotional exhaustion. Moving gently, he pushed back her hair from her face and started to wipe her make-up away with his forefinger. He wanted so badly to just pull her face to his in this moment and tell her he loved her and he'd be there for her because he was finally free of Terri and that he wanted to whisk her away to Regional's with him so they could begin their journey…but, as he looked down at her face calming now – he knew it wasn't the right time. She waited for him for two years, he could wait a little longer. So he bit his tongue._

_Over the next few months after her father passed, Will was always a phone call away and checked up on her quite often. He even offered to stay over one night after letting her cry into his arms again…but, she sent him along saying she just needed to be alone. _

_As the weeks turned into a month, and a month turned into months… he lost his courage to say something, to do something like he'd done after Sectionals. She was vulnerable and emotional, and he didn't want her to ever think he took advantage of her at such a hard time._

_Emma started see a therapist after the funeral for a little while and eventually after about 6 or 7 months, she was feeling alive and better about life again. She knew her father would have wanted her to be strong and continue working on her phobia. But…she realized even through the moments of closeness, near kisses, and honesty with Will late at night in her apartment or his over this past year… they'd fallen into their old ways of looking at one another but not saying, and thinking about the things they wanted to do, but not doing..._

Emma was startled from her thoughts as Will's arms gripped a little tighter around her waist leaving her slightly breathless. She let out a deep smile that he couldn't see and looked down at his arms still around her.

_Say something Emma…c'mon…you can do this._

"Y—you feel like a-a heater making me… all warm inside."

Mentally slapping herself for her word vomit, Emma turned bright red at the comment she made. She certainly hadn't even been thinking _those_ kinds of thoughts when it was said, at least not today anyway.

Chills went up Will's spine as he let her go from behind quickly and pulled her to his side, looking down to see a very embarrassed Emma scrunching her eyes and nose up and making that face he loved when she said too much. His mind instantly shot to Emma clad in a little babydoll nighty telling him those exact words. He really had to get those kinds of thoughts in check.

He knew what she'd meant, but it didn't make her any less mortified so he looked at her with a forgiving, charming smile and she looked back with a bashful grin.

"—HELLO! We are going to be late if we don't leave this parking lot in approximately 5 seconds and from my years of shows and performance experiences, it is always smart to be early and therefore on time, rather than on time and be late!"

The rest of the kids just shook their heads at Rachel watching Mr. Schue and Ms. P back away from one another quickly as she ruined their moment. They all knew something was going on between the two and believed it was only a matter of time.

"—Rachel, we'll be fine. And good morning to you all! Today's the big day for you guys, I just know you're going to nail it."

Will pumped his fist in the air in excitement and all the kids smiled at his enthusiasm.

"Normally, I don't agree with her," Kurt said with his normal sassy tone, "but if we don't get on that bus right now my hair will look like Joan Rivers on a good hair day and I cannot work that look. Let's GO already."

The kids laughed at Kurt's typical snide remarks and Mercedes patted him on the back.

"Kurt, you're hair will look fly no matter what. But I agree, Mr. Schue…let's hit the road."

Emma took that as her cue to check the bus first for any spills or messes in aisle or seats giving her ample time to clean them and not hyperventilate as Will gave the kids a final pep talk.

"Alright guys, I know it's a long drive being around 6 hours away but I really want you all to focus on the numbers, focus on your vocals, and remember how far we've come to get to this spot today. You've worked hard for this and I want to see a strong finish! Now does everyone have their costumes? Double check your bags, I'm not having an incident like last time…" and everyone moved their eyes to Brittany.

"…What?"

At Sectionals a couple months back, Brittany wore her Cheerios uniform to the competition and didn't understand what a "change of clothes" into uniform had meant other than to wear her uniform she wore every single day. As a result, Mr. Schue had to work his charm on a couple of the officials and the kids stayed overnight to compete early the next morning. They pulled it off again, but Regional's wouldn't be nearly as forgiving.

Each person ended up bringing their uniform and an overnight bag because of the last incident and even Will, who had to sleep in jeans last time, brought a bag of his own.

Quinn glared at Puck who had accidentally brought along his clothes as well as the baby's diaper bag and pulled out her phone to warn her mom who would be watching the little girl while they were gone.

Will checked each of their bags and turned around to the bus as Emma was slowly making her way to the front with cautious hands and stepped off the bus to join everyone.

"As I mentioned earlier this week, a cold front is moving in and we might get some pretty bad ice and snow. If that happens—they'll postpone to next week and depending on how far out we've gotten, we may be staying at a hotel or chance it and continue driving home. But, regardless, get your mind set on the show in case we DO get out there today."

Quinn moved to the front of the group and piped in.

"But if we stay at a hotel, we won't see Annabelle for over a day and I've never done that before, Mr. Schue."

"Quinn, don't worry about Annabelle, alright? Your mom's going to take excellent care of her and besides, we probably won't even be at a hotel today. The snows just now starting to fall, surely we'll be fine."

"But if aren't—do we have reservations or something? I didn't bring any money, Mr Schue."

"Artie, the school will provide for us as long as we aren't breaking any rules since it would be an emergency anyway. But since we're on the topic, each of you have already been paired in girl groups and guy groups and absolutely no mixing in the night or Sue will have us kicked out in no time."

Rachel raised her hand and moved up now,

"But what about you and Ms. Pillsbury?"

Everyone laughed at the comment just waiting for the blushing faces of both, and Emma looked down at shoes.

"A—As the adults, we—we're allowed to share a room," his voice cracked and Puck mocked him.

"Ehh, cut it out guys. And Puck how about you use the vocals for something good instead of just backtalk huh?

"Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, Mr. Schue." Puck let it go and patted him on the back as they entered onto the bus.

Emma took notice of the two developing a better friendship since the baby came and was happy to see Puck gaining a better male role model in his life. Finn and Will were still close and talked often but since the baby came, he'd been writing checks from time to time for the two struggling parents. As they're getting on the bus, and Will lets Emma in before him she realizes just how much in love with him she still is.

_Always a true gentleman in everyway…_

When she moved up the steps he patted for her to sit next to him even with all the open seats, and before she sat down he wiped it with a wet wipe of his own.

Emma smiled graciously and sat down close to him in the small seat.

"Want an ear?"

Will held up part of his iPod headphones for her to take, and without hesitation and the chance to be closer to him she took it and swiped it with sanitizer before putting it in.

"Thanks, Will. That's very sweet of you,"

He looked at her face so close to his and wished he could just kiss her soft lips with everything in him. But Emma turned away and looked out into the aisle as she leaned back to get settled in for the long drive.

Choking up a bit he whispered "your welcome", pushed play on the iPod, and the bus headed out of the McKinley High parking lot.

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**a/n: Whatcha think? Who's gonna make a move first? [insert cheesy ploy to get you to review] ha ha.**


	2. Memories of the Heart

**A/N: WOW! Thank you ALL so much for your reviews! We can't believe the feedback but we are so very grateful! Hope you enjoy this next chapter, it's a little short but they will start getting longer... no worries :)**

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About half way into the trip, Emma woke up after falling asleep fairly shortly after departure. She realized she'd fallen asleep into Will's chest and he was still sleeping. His right arm was wrapped around her protectively and his left hand was hung lying across her knee. Her body tensed up from the contact of their bodies so close and she looked at his adorable face that had a little smile on his lips.

Emma was about to go back to sleep, enjoying the feeling of his strong arms around her, but she bumped her knee into him and woke him up.

"_Shoot…"_

She whispered to herself as he moved his body to sit up in the seat.

Will was startled when he felt Emma's minty breath near his face as they pulled away avoiding each other's eyes for a moment. He finally chanced a glance and saw her cheeks blushing and hoped his own wasn't still showing.

He opened his mouth to say something when Finn shouted up to them.

"Hey you two! You gonna sleep on each other all afternoon or you wanna play a game with us?"

Will ignored his comment and Emma swallowed following sheepishly behind him as they moved back a couple rows to join the kids and play games for the next hour.

"Mr. Schue, we got a d-d-dope m-mash-up for y-you to h-hear"

"Yeah, Tina's right Mr. Schue. Remember when we couldn't find a mash-up for that Bust a Move oldies rap?"

"What about it guys?"

"Well…we actually did find one, we used Ms. P's song that she likes, 'I could have danced all night' and yours and made "Bust A Move All Night".

And all the kids laughed at their clever mash-up title as Will and Emma shared a little blush looking at one another.

"Ha ha, very funny title guys…so let's hear it, huh?"

And the kids started singing as Will and Emma listened along remembering that day in the bridal shop like it was yesterday. Will remembers it being the day he knew he was in love with Emma, and _still _was in love with her…

_They agreed to go during their lunch hour and Will would help her pick out a dress to dance in for her first song as a bride to Ken. He hated the idea of those two together because Ken just seemed totally wrong for her, but…he couldn't really put his finger on why it bugged him so much. His mind told him it was just a friend wanting the best for his best friend….but he wasn't sure that was the real reason._

_She walked out in the main area of the store and twirled to show him her dress and his jaw dropped at the sight of her. He'd never seen Emma so beautiful, glowing, and—sexy. She had those big brown eyes that played such an innocence but he couldn't help noticing how soft the skin on her back looked as she walked towards the mirror._

_They stood in front of the mirror together and Will looked at them, realizing just why Ken didn't go with Emma. Because he wanted to go with her. But he was married and having a child, and he brushed it off as they began to dance together knowing those kinds of thoughts would end up hurting too many people._

_Her voice was angelic and so sweet to his ears. He'd only ever heard her humming along to a song from time to time but her voice was magnificent. The thoughts running through his mind as they danced scared him because all he could think about was imagining it was the two of them at their wedding. Dancing the night away…_

_When the end of the song had come and he picked her up as part of their last dance move together, he couldn't help it as his breath caught as he brought her slowly down his body. _

_She looked at him, their faces an inch or less apart and then the moment was gone and she'd pulled away but his eyes followed her still as he dipped her._

_He held her so tightly with his left arm holding her up and the skin he felt was indeed…soft. It burned his fingers and he wanted more. He whispered that she could dance in it and without realizing it brushed his fingers against her hand on his heart. He'd hoped she hadn't felt it beating so fastly, but by the look of wanting in her eyes and her finger moving against his…he knew she had felt it and realized hers was probably beating just as hard. He was in love with another woman. She supported him and loved him, she was so beautiful and sweet… and, and… he had to get out of there fast._

The kids ended their mash-up sliding by with only a few sexual remarks and everyone clapped as they all were getting riled up about the show now.

Will turned to Emma who seemed a little dazed,

_Was she thinking back on that day too? Maybe?_

Emma let out a nervous laugh looking over at Will who seemed a little out of it.

_Oh gosh, I hate when he sees right through me…_

Emma had in fact been reminiscing on that day in the bridal shop as well.

_She had jumped at the opportunity to spend more time with Will, even if it was for lessons to work on her wedding dance with a man who wasn't her fiancé._

_He'd offered that they go during their lunch hour and Emma tried to play it cool, but she figured Will could see she was excited after their last lesson together with the Thong Song and a heated moment when she fell on top of him. She had tucked away the memory of his body under hers and the way it felt._

_Emma nervously slipped on the new wedding dress and looked herself over in the mirror. She felt like a princess and was twirling around when she heard Will's voice asking her to hurry it along._

_She scooted out the dressing room and walked past Will hoping for some sort of reaction. _

_When he gasped and stood up awkwardly with his hands at his sides, Emma was stunned. He'd never looked at her this way before. She suddenly felt a new sense of confidence at his speechless demeanor. _

_She felt his eyes follow her as she turned to head for the body mirror and her heart broke just a little inside when he stood next to her._

_Will would never be the one who was really standing next to her at the altar…he had given his heart to someone else, and she—well she needed to move on. But then he looked at her with wide eyes of exasperation and realized he was staring and Emma thought she could live out this dream just one more day._

_They danced and flowed together like they had been dancing their whole lives and were meant to be. Emma belted out her soprano voice knowing Will had never heard her sing before and he seemed so pleased when she began. _

_As they moved along, Emma felt her back burn from his touches on her skin and wanted his fingers to move along her even more. If only._

_The song came to a close as Will surprised Emma by picking her up and moving her around as he slowly brought her down and her breathe caught in her throat at their closeness. She could hardly finish the song as he looked into her eyes with lust and desire. She'd wanted him to look at her like that for years…and…and suddenly she was bent over held tightly in his arms as he stood there with no words for a few moments._

"_Yeah…you can dance in it."_

_Emma's gloved hand was over his heart and she was shaken by how fast it was beating, only matching her excitement._

_She wanted to tell him in this moment how much she loved him…how she longed for his hands to touch her more…how many times she'd volunteered for afterschool programs in the past few months just to know he was only a few classrooms away before he left for his wife. _

_Sometimes when it was just the two of them left in the school in the evening her mind would wander and she pretended he'd walk into her office grabbing her to him and kissing her senseless as he pushed her against the desk—_

_But she'd stop. Her mind wouldn't allow her to think such thoughts of a married man. Only in her dreams would things get carried away._

_Suddenly she felt his palm covering her hand and stroking his finger along and she couldn't help but move to touch his and mentally pleaded with him to stay. Just as the moment had come, it ended and Will choked over his words as he moved away from her to leave._

_He would never be hers…_

Emma looked over at Will thinking how much she had shut the thoughts of them being together out of her mind and now that he was finally available, they still weren't together. The only thing more painful then a married Will was a single Will who had yet to make a move on her since her father's passing months ago.

Mercedes shook Emma out of her thoughts when she brought up last year's Sectionals when Emma had taken the kids for Will as a favor.

"—Hey guys, remember last year at Sectionals when Ms. P totally destroyed those other cheating Glee club coaches and made them feel all guilty?"

Emma looked down at the sudden mention of her name. She'd never told Will about what she'd said to the other coaches that day.

"Hold on, now what did Ms. Pillsbury do exactly?"

Will smiled, looking over at Emma noticing she wouldn't make eye contact with anyone.

She had in fact remembered this week leading up to Sectionals perfectly, tucking it away in her mind as the best and worst days of her life. It was like one big emotional, rollercoaster without all of the germ-filled seats and stench of corndogs that amusement parks gave off.

_After agreeing to push the wedding back to the evening, Emma recalls staring at herself in front of her mirror thinking she'd lost her mind. _

_Ken was right there in front of her and loved her…but she couldn't love him. Emma only ever let people in who were truly special to her and—well, he would never be that person._

_Everytime he mentioned the wedding during the week leading up to Sectionals she dug her nails into her skin thinking that she was letting Will down and her mind would only drift to his concerns and things he was going through._

_She reasoned that he was going through a difficult time and she couldn't back out on him—and the kids of course._

_Even after finally voicing to him that she had given Ken reason to be worried about her crush on him and stated that she was 'done with that'…she knew she'd made a mistake and would ultimately still do anything for Will._

_The day of Sectionals when all of the leaked set list drama had unfolded, her heart broke for the kids who'd worked so hard to accomplish something as underdogs and her heart broke even more realizing Will couldn't take any more disappointment in his life right now._

_She held clenched fists as she strolled up to the other Glee coaches and told them off._

_Admitting to herself, finally, the only times she ever let her anger show were when they involved Will or the kids she'd grown to love at McKinley…even if Puck tried to make a pass at her on the second week of school—she still cared for him too._

_Right before the kids headed out onto the stage to perform their new impromptu numbers, her phone lit up with Will's name and her heart raced. He'd been calling her all day to check in and she realized she could get used to that number showing up more._

_Just as every single other memory that involved Sectionals had come, her mind wandered to the Monday after Sectionals like it had done many times in the past year…the day when her world stopped and Will Schuester was finally eyeing her with desire and pulled her in for a kiss. His arms gripping at her hips and nearly pulling her off her heels before kissing her. It was like he wouldn't even wait for her to stop him because he knew deep down she didn't want to stop him._

Emma licked her lips involuntarily at the thought of his soft lips touching hers and yearning for that taste again when Rachel abruptly cut off her thoughts—

"—Oh! It was spectacular Mr. Schue. Ms. Pillsbury was quite livid with the other coaches for their inexcusable behavior and when she thought we weren't around, she hunted them down and told them off."

"…really?"

Will tried to imagine an angry Emma telling off the other coaches. He'd only seen Emma angry a couple times in their friendship together and it was either over germs, the glee kids being mistreated, or when she'd find out Terri had been lying to him. He thought she'd even let the word, _"bitch"_ slip as he walked out of her office that day but he couldn't be sure…

And then there was the time Will was wrongly accused of allowing favoritism towards the Cheerios of Glee which Sue Sylvester had brought on.

As a matter of fact, as Will thought about it, the only times Emma was angry were usually involving him.

"Yeah, Rachel heard the whole conversation with those jerks and Ms. P and I gotta admit, it was pretty hot to see her defend us like that. Kinda like a hot MILF defending her kids or somethin'."

All the guys laughed at Puck's remark and Will told them to cut it out. He looked over at Emma who was now completely red in the face and staring down at the pattern on her skirt thumbing with the fabric.

"…And remember her playing games with us on the way to Sectionals too? Let's not forget that part of the trip…"

She had insisted that on the trip the kids sit with someone they normally didn't talk to and say something nice about that person. All the kids thought it was such a guidance counselor thing to do, but she was always genuine and they felt that she really cared about them.

Emma finally looked up and smiled at the kids realizing how much she had become part of the Glee club herself as they continued praising her. Will loved that she acted like a mother to these kids when they needed help. After Quinn had the baby, Emma took her shopping for little baby clothes and made sure she had all the right types of vitamins since her mother was still bitter about her moving back in.

He knew she loved the kids just as much as he did and understood why he cared so much about them and had grown to treat them like his own. They were there for him when times were tough, and he and Emma were good to them when they needed a hand.

Will and Emma finally told the kids to plug their iPods in and get focused on the show with only a little over an hour away until they reached Chicago.

John, the bus driver, waved for Will to come up and speak with him.

"Hey, Will…This—this uh weather looks like it's getting pretty bad."

Will looked out the window noticing John was right.

"You think we can still make it there or should we stop?"

"Well these roads aren't getting any better. I just don't think it's a good idea to continue moving towards the snow storm like this…"

That was enough for Will. He wanted to see his kids perform, but their lives and Emma's were important than any competition.

He explained how serious the conditions were to the kids and they all huffed in frustration but eventually understood that other buses headed to Chicago were probably having the same troubles too. They all agreed to stop and find the nearest hotel, which Emma noted, was the Marriott hotel off the next exit.

As they pulled into the hotel, Will pulled out his phone to check with the officials of the competition while Emma got the kids out and they unloaded their bags walking towards the hotel.

When they got inside and found their card keys, Will walked in.

"Guys, I'm sorry but it looks like we're stuck here for tonight and we won't be competing this weekend…"

Everyone argued back and he waved them off.

"Hey-hey, listen…I know you all were excited to go out there today but we can't. And neither can a lot of the schools. Next week we can come back up here and compete and we've got one more week to really amp up our performance. You're not paying for this stay so just enjoy it tonight, alright? We'll head back tomorrow morning when the roads are clear."

They all looked around at either realizing this could be a pretty good night of hanging out having covert jam sessions in the hotel, and it would turn out to be a night to certainly remember.

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**A/N: Since we received such great feedback we might be releasing the next one sooner! Thoughts? Review 'em!**


	3. Unforgettable

**a/n: No words…you guys are seriously amazing! We are feeling the love and appreciate you all reviewing very much. Enjoy a new chapter!**

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With the trip taking an interesting new turn, the kids and Will and Emma headed towards the front desk to check in and get settled for the night ahead.

They passed by a few men in suits walking out and realized this hotel was actually quite luxurious. The ceilings shot into the sky and the floors were shiny and spotless with bellhops moving past them.

Emma gasped at the fountains lined along the walls and the columns of crème that gave the place a Greek Isle theme of elegance and stature. She noticed all of the workers had pressed and prim appearances and the nearby bar was even spotless tonight.

Nodding to herself at the mental checklist that the hotel had just passed in her head, she felt that it was almost—heavenly, when she felt a tap on her shoulder and jumped.

"Ms. Pillsbury, we have to go check in now." Rachel stated and Emma startled, turned around.

"O—Oh I'm so sorry Rachel, where is everyone?"

"Mr. Schuester is at the check-in counter getting us all checked in."

_Checked in…oh god_

It had finally dawned on Emma that she had no clothes except the ones on her back. She imagined trying to sleep under the clean, crisp covers of a bed here in her germ-ridden clothes and shuddered at the thought.

She hoped there was a washing room because she needed to find it immediately as the bacteria and grime started to envelop her body.

_But what do I sleep in? I can't fall asleep in a pencil skirt…this is a disaster, how am I suppo—_

"—Ms. Pillsbury… is everything ok?"

Emma hands were clenched into balled fists and held away from her body as she tried to take deep, relaxing breathes but she could barely move or speak at this point.

"…f—fine."

She hardly choked out a raspy word as Rachel just stared at her with concern and fear.

Will had been watching Emma and knew he had to do something.

He left Finn and came up to the girls,

"Hey Rach, go line up with the others. We're still getting luggage sorted out so step in line for me until I'm back."

"Sure thing, Mr. Schuester."

And with a small salute, she was gone.

Will inched up close to Emma's guarded stance and rolled the idea over in his head before he grabbed her hand in his and cupped her palm.

"Hey, you…you ok Em?"

Emma felt slightly better with Will's palm touching hers as she tried to still relax.

"N—No Will…I—I'm not. I don't, I don't have a thing to sleep in and I never packed a suitcase because—"

"—Emma, everything is taken care of, ok."

Emma gave him a questioning look and Will dropped her hand to explain. She missed his hand already…

"Look, I actually brought an extra shirt that you could wear—don't worry…it's, it's clean. I washed it three times to make sure it held your standards. It's a large so it…well, it should um cover you, pre—pretty well. It's your favorite color too.."

"P—Periwinkle?"

As she asked him, finally calming down, he pulled out a shirt from his night bag and Emma saw it was indeed periwinkle and her favorite shirt on him.

She remembers when Periwinkle first became her favorite color, and of course it was because of Will but she'd never admit to it.

_Emma was sitting in her pajamas in her apartment watching a movie on a Friday night when the phone rang. She sniffed up the tears she'd be crying as she was still recovering from her father's death just a month ago. Feeling like her life had taken every wrong turn in the book at this point, Emma had felt like giving up. _

_She had lost the man who understood her problems since she was 8 years old and the other man who understood had finalized his divorce but they didn't know where to start. Emma knew she wanted to be with him, oh god did she, but afraid of knowing he would see all of her quirks and problems…would he still want her?_

_Since her father's death, Emma knew jumping into anything with Will wouldn't be wise. Her emotions were already hitting highs and lows and she didn't want to put him through any of it so she guarded her heart. _

_He would ask to stay over after they sat on the coach for hours holding one another and she'd send him along saying 'another time'. The first night in her apartment after his death, Will held her from behind as they lay together and her body shook with tears until she finally gave into exhaustion and slept. He moved to get up and she had pulled at him, almost begging him to stay with her that night. And so he did. But since that night, she hadn't let him._

"_H—Hello," sniffling into the phone._

"_Oh Emma, so glad you're home. It's Rita. I—I know this is very last minute, but Judith was supposed to chaperone the dance tonight and she's come down with the flu…is…is there anyway you could take her spot?"_

_Emma shifted in the couch thinking she should really get caller ID and sighed. She wasn't doing anything but the thought of going back to the school for a disgusting dance didn't seem very exciting or pleasing to the eye._

"—_I, I'm already here and James and Will are here as well."_

"—_Will's there? But I thought he…Isn't he supposed to be visiting his sister in Cleveland?"_

_Emma would've agreed to go to the dance if Will was going but when Rita came around earlier that day asking for chaperones he'd said he had planned on staying with his sister and her family for the weekend and Emma declined. _

"_Oh…Um, I don't know but he's here now so if—if you want to come and help us out that—that'd be wonderful."_

"_S-Sure, I…I suppose I should help you guys out!" _

"_Perfect, ok, see you soon."_

_Emma's night had just gotten a lot better. She got to spend her Friday night with Will and that was more than enough._

_With a quick shower and a scan through her closet, Emma slipped on a vintage, strapless violet dress with a fitted bodice and a bottom that flowed out off her hips. She fixed her hair in soft curls, slipped on a pair of silver and violet mary janes, spritzed some strawberry bodyspray on her neck and quickly headed for the door in record time._

_Will was sitting at the check-in table at the school when he saw her coming through the door. He was more than thrilled to see her…and gasped at how beautiful she looked._

_He'd been set on taking a trip to see his little sis when he found out his nephew got food poisoning and he cancelled the stay. _

"_E—Emma, you look beautiful,"_

_He wanted her to be his. He wanted to move out from behind the table and wrap her in his arms and kiss her telling her he was glad to see her. But she wasn't even close to being his right now._

"…_gosh, thanks Will. You look pretty handsome yourself, I like the color. New tie?"_

_Will was shocked when Emma moved towards him and pulled at his tie a little noticing the periwinkle shirt. Was she being…flirty?_

"_Uh y-yeah, just picked it up a few days ago."_

_They smiled at one other's presence and soon the dance was underway._

_The pair moved around together throughout the night getting punch (Will, not Emma), checking kids in, and eating snacks from Emma's purse but they weren't dancing._

"_Emma, I think it's only fair for us to dance at a dance, otherwise…what kind of chaperones would we be?"_

"_I—I don't know Will, I'm not…I'm not very good at that."_

"_I refuse to believe that considering we danced together before and you were perfect,"_

_Emma was afraid he'd remember that. _

"_Unforgettable" by Natalie Cole and Nat King Cole began to fill the room and all the couples began swaying together._

_He didn't wait for an answer as he took her hand leading her onto the dancefloor. But unlike like last time they danced, this dance was more intimate. Will pulled Emma's hips to his and her hands dropped underneath his jacket and settled on his sides as she rested her head on his chest._

_As they moved slowly together, Emma gripped her hands on his sides a little more and smelled his shirt. He smelled like clean and…home. Emma felt immediate comfort in this scent and wished the song wouldn't song end when suddenly she thought she felt Will smelling her too…_

_Probably not, he wasn't that close.. was he?_

_She slowly glanced up and his eyes were closed as he, in fact, was smelling her and was caught now._

Will shook Emma a little out of her daze as her hand had absentmindedly moved to finger the sleeve of his shirt and he looked into her eyes realizing she was thinking of the same memory he was.

"C'mon, let's join the kids. We'll be alright tonight, ok."

Emma nodded and they found the kids with duffel bags in their arms waiting for the adults to get the key cards.

"Hello, um we would like seven rooms for one night. All separate beds, please."

"Ok, just let me check you into the system."

The receptionist glanced down at the screen and started clacking away on the keyboard.

"So, what's the occasion here? It's not everyday we have younger crowds coming in, mostly high end international business men and their mistresses.."

"O—Oh we are actually on our way to a Regional competition."

"—oh cheerleading?"

Puck cut in, "Lady, c'mon.. I'm a stud. Do you expect someone like me to be on a cheerleading squad?"

The woman looked him over once and continued,

"So it IS cheerleading then.."

Rachel moved to the front desk and sharply replied,

"Ms, we are in fact the McKinley High School Glee Club, two-time winner of the Lima, Ohio Sectionals standing and first place winner of the Lima Lovin' Annual Carnival."

"O—Okay, so is this is a gay straight alliance thing or something?"

"No—it's a show choir."

"A show-what?"

Everyone was frustrated with this woman now,

"A show CHOIR." Rachel said determinedly.

"Oh, oh, you guys are all singers…my apologies. Well in that case, we actually have a karaoke contest tonight in the club on the second floor, anyone can participate, only catch is you have to be in pairs because the songs are all duets."

Everyone looked around excited at each other except Emma.

She had always wanted to sing with Will but every one of these kids were so talented and confident… it would be embarrassing.

Will, on the other hand, looked ecstatic to try to sing with Emma and allow some good practice for his kids.

"That would be great, what time does it start?"

"It should start in about two hours, if you want to sign up just use this."

She handed over a clipboard from behind the desk with a sheet of paper and lines for two people per entry.

Kurt, as if by fate, was next to Mercedes and they immediately paired up.

"So my love, what shall we perform to blow everyone away?"

"I don't know honey, but it's gonna be fierce and fabulous of course.."

They laughed together as everyone else found a partner while Will doled out their key cards.

"Guys, this is going to be great practice! Find someone who will challenge you vocally and I'll meet you all down here at…" he looked down at his watch, "7 sharp."

All the kids jumped around and grabbed their stuff racing for the elevators.

Emma and Will just looked at one another for a moment and Emma turned to grab her purse breaking his gaze. She was afraid he'd ask to sing with her and…Emma just wasn't sure she was up to it.

"Let's uh—let's check out our room I guess, huh?"

They headed to the elevator in silence and made small talk until they reached the door. Will looked at Emma with a small grin before he opened the door and she felt like for a moment, they were married.

But they weren't married…and this room, while very luxurious and clean, was in fact a honeymoon suite.

"Uhm, W—Will, did you—"

"No, no, I—I specifically told them separate beds. I, I'm sorry, let me go get this straightened out. I'll be right back."

And before Emma could respond he had left the room.

The thought of sleeping in the same bed with Will made her jumpy. Of course they'd cuddled a couple times when had been upset but only on her couch and no kissing of any kind… it was that weird place of 'what are we doing' in their relationship. There was one night when Emma really thought it was going to happen.

_It was only just a month or so ago and Emma had ended her sessions with a therapist. She invited Will over for dinner and rented a movie for them to watch. _

_Will knocked on the door and Emma jumped up to greet him like she'd done many times before, but she wanted tonight to be different…She wanted him to know she was ready for this. Ready to take the next step._

"_Will, hi… glad you could come tonight. I've got some pasta and marsala chicken for dinner and I rented um, 500 Days of Summer to watch, is—is that alright?"_

"_Em, that all sounds fantastic. What uh…what's the special occasion?"_

"_Oh oh, no um…no special occasion, you know just two people who—who enjoy one another's company, just uhm having a night together…not like together, just like having a night with each other. Umm no—"_

_Will touched the small of her back and cut her off,_

"—_it's cool, let's uh, let's see what else you've got cooking.."_

_And they moved toward the table as Emma put food on Will's plate and then her own and they enjoyed light conversation for the next hour talking about work, upcoming songs for glee, and how Emma's mom was holding up since the passing._

"_She's doing a lot better, you know, it's—it's been a hard time but we've gotten through it together and daddy would've wanted us to continue living our lives to make him proud."_

_Will nodded and stared at Emma's expression of confidence in that sentence._

"_You're so strong Emma, I really do admire that about you."_

_This was her chance to switch the conversation…her attempts to be flirty. She'd already worn one of her tighter pencil skirts and a blouse with a lower cut. Emma wasn't trying to throw herself at Will by any means—just, give him a little nudge in the right direction._

"_Y—you do? What uhm, what else do you admire…about me?" Emma asked with a hint of playfulness in her tone._

_Will was taken back by her comment and the almost…seductive look in her eyes._

"_O—Oh, well I—I admire that you…"_

_Should he go for it and say something personal... or play it safe?_

"_I admire that you, you love the kids in that school so much."_

_Emma tried to mask her disappointment; it was a nice compliment but not what she'd been fishing for._

_She picked up her fork to pick at her food a little when he blurted it out._

"—_I admire that, that you're always trying to let others see how beautiful you are on the inside because you don't even realize how beautiful you are on the outside…"_

_He stammered through it and rushed it out but Emma heard him clearly._

_Her eyes looked into his and she blushed a little before looking down again,_

"…_thanks, Will."_

_He could see a little smile playing on her lips now as if she was tucking those words away into her memory and he wanted her to have more of those moments._

_They finished eating dinner and Emma suggested they settle on the couch to watch the movie._

_Will sat down on the couch and Emma told him she needed to use the restroom. She returned a few minutes later wearing a slip. It wasn't a revealing slip by any means, but it had lace and Will had never seen her in red lace…_

"_W-what, um, why..what did you change for?" he shifted in the couch, feeling suddenly aroused. It was just modest enough to be sexy and so Emma._

"_I, I just wanted to be more comfortable…pencil skirts can be a little, tight."_

_Emma was trying, really trying to get her point across. She hadn't felt Will's lips on hers since that day and it had been too long. She moved to sit close to Will on the couch and smiled at him before nudging into his body and facing the tv to wait for him to do something._

_Will's heart was pounding fast and he couldn't believe she was being this forward, but he liked it a lot. He moved his arm around to pull her close but didn't dare move anymore. The last time they kissed, he went in for it and he was nervous about kissing her then. But now, he was even more nervous knowing she expected it. Obviously he was comfortable in his abilities, but something about Emma's new found drive was making him jittery._

_He sat there for a moment before moving to push play on the movie and they sat there for 10 minutes just watching._

_Emma couldn't believe this. Why wasn't he doing anything!_

"_I—I'm getting thirsty, you uh—want anything to drink?"_

_Will moved to get up and headed for the kitchen._

_Emma sighed and told him'no' as he fidgeted around in her kitchen and got a glass of water. She was surprised when he suddenly set the glass down and came back to sit pulling her legs across so she was sitting sideways on his lap and wrapped his arms around her little waist,_

"_Emma.."_

_She smiled to herself and turned to face him only an inch from his face._

"_Hmm?"_

_He glanced down at her lips and she kept looking between his mouth and his eyes. They just sat there for a moment and Emma's eyes finally closed under the feel of his breath on her face. She inched forward and for a moment their lips were centimeters from touching when Will quickly pulled back._

"_Damnit…I—I forgot I was supposed to call my sister back tonight…um, I—I should go."_

_He moved Emma off his lap and she slipped back onto the couch with a small thump. She blinked her eyes rapidly trying to regain composure but it was hard. _

"_I—I'm sorry to cut the night short like this, really. I'll uh, I'll make it up to you. Promise."_

_Will turned and headed out of her apartment and when the door shut Emma covered her face with her hands in frustration and sadness._

_After that night, Emma didn't dare make a move feeling like she'd thrown herself at him and he didn't do anything. And Will cursed his cowardliness. He was afraid Emma was still vulnerable and didn't want to take advantage of her…but he should've just asked if she was ready—because he certainly was._

Just then Will came back into their room and Emma stood up off the bed, smoothing down her skirt.

"Em, I'm so sorry about this but…they, well they thought we were a couple so they gave us just the one bed and there's an error in the system blocking it from switching. They told me we could switch but it would mess up the billing system since this was a honeymoon suite."

Emma eyes just widened but she didn't say anything so Will continued as he moved his suitcase to the other half of the room.

"They told me we can keep this room at the same rate of a normal room, so I—I just told them we'd keep the room. Now I can sleep on the couch over here and you—"

Emma saw the chance and jumped at it.

"—Will, don't be silly, we're two mature adults. We can just share the bed, you know, tomorrow's going to be a long drive home and we both need good rest. Nobody ever gets a healthy night's sleep on a couch."

He looked at her with a questioning look in his eyes and Emma faltered a little before speaking up again,

"Um, but, um anyway now that that's settled we should probably get downstairs. It's almost 7 now…wh—um, well were you going to participate tonight, in the—the little contest?"

Will was delighted that he asked her and knew this was his perfect opportunity.

"Yeah, actually. And I want you to be my partner, would you accompany me? I had the perfect song—"

"Oh gosh, well um, you know I—I'm flattered Will but, I don't know if that's such a good idea,"

"And whys that?"

Emma's eyes looked away from his and her head dropped slightly.

"I—I'm not that good, Will."

He shook his head at her little insecurities and moved forward pulling her chin up to face him.

"Believe it or not, you have a gorgeous voice…and I won't accept any other partner but you."

Will realized he was speaking about more than just singing a duet with her, and he waited for her response.

Emma blushed a bit and they stared at one another when a sudden rap on the door came and the kids all piled in which caused them to jump away from one another with red faces.

"What's up with the honeymoon suite, Mr. Schue? You took shacking together now?"

"Cut it out, Puck. They mixed it up, and it's nobody's business anyway."

"Alright, easy tiger."

Everybody looked around smiling at each other except Will and Emma who seemed embarrassed.

Emma found her voice and clapped her hands together,

"Let's get downstairs to enter this contest, ok kids!"

Everybody huddled out of the room snickering at the adults.

---

They all headed to the second floor and found a large crowd had developed to watch the contestants. Will looked around and saw Emma's nervous expression and moved to wrap his arm around her shoulders.

"You're gonna do great, Em."

Emma smiled a little to reassure him but her heart was beating wildly.

"I—I'm gonna get something while we watch the kids, you want anything from the bar?'

"Nah, I'm good. I'll save you a seat."

Heading over to the bar, Emma wiped down the seat and sat down.

"Could I have a cosmopolitan, please."

"Sure thing, darlin'."

The bartender gave her a smug smile and handed her a glass a minute later.

Emma was not any sort of drinker, albeit she had a glass of wine from time to time that was about it. But she couldn't calm her nerves and on top of sleeping in the same bed with a man she dreams about at night…she really needed it now.

She grabbed the glass and headed over to the table Will was sitting at near the front of the small stage now lit up with a single spotlight.

Will looked down at the glass in front of Emma that was almost empty already. He opened his mouth to tell her to take it easy when the music started to play and Kurt and Mercedes entered the stage.

The pair belted out the classic Madonna song, "Vogue" and nailed it while coming off "fierce" and afterwards did a curtsy and walked off the stage.

"Autographs will be available later, everyone."

They laughed together and the audience enjoyed their performance as Finn and Rachel headed out onto the stage together with joined hands.

Making quite a show, they used the song "No Air" and everyone was going wild with applause at the end of their performance. Will clapped in pride for the kids who didn't seem nervous or shy to perform tonight. He glanced over at Emma who had another drink in front of her and was clapping along and smiling brightly.

"They're great, gosh they're so great, aren't they Will?"

He chuckled a little at her loose behavior and agreed they were indeed great.

Emma hollered "Go Artie! Go Tina! Go Glee kids!" as the next two came out onto the stage and they blushed at her little shout-out.

They changed up the style of the room by performing a creative duet of "Love Story" and everyone "awed" at the end when Tina sat on his lap to finish out the last line.

Santana and Brittney skipped out onto the stage together in their Cheerios outfits and sang their own cover of "What A Girl Wants". Mike and Matt skipped out on performing and thoroughly enjoyed the two girls performing and eyeing them during the song.

Finally, the last of the kids, Quinn and Puck headed out onto the stage holding hands and smiled at the crowd.

"We want to dedicate this song to our beautiful baby girl tonight."

Everyone "awed" and held their hearts as the pair sang "There Goes My Life" together as they swayed along. Will and Emma looked on as they ended and Quinn wiped away a stray tear from her cheek as she smiled at Puck.

"I'm so glad they're finally figuring things out, you know,"

"Oh definitely, they're just the cutest pair! Gosh, I guess we're up next partner,"

Emma grabbed Will's hand giddily now as she felt a little tipsy and headed for the stage.

He told the song to the DJ and a soft jazz sound filled the room.

Will took a mic and handed the other to Emma who was grinning big at him and bouncing around now.

He smiled before beginning,

"Unforgettable, that's what you are,"

Emma blushed at his smooth, sultry voice and joined him..

"Unforgettable though near or far…"

Before letting Will begin his next part, Emma moved towards him and grabbed his hand in hers lacing it.

"Like a song of love that clings to me

How the thought of you does things to me

Never before has someone been more…"

He looked over at her surprised in the forward behavior and blamed it on the alcohol buzz but enjoyed it nonetheless.

Emma grabbed his index finger and spun herself around as she began her part,

"Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay…"

Will let her spin and pulled her to him as they swayed closely looking at each other and joined together,

"That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable

Thinks that I am unforgettable too…"

As the soft sounds of the saxophone filled the room during the break in the song, they moved and flowed like they were meant to dance together their whole lives. Will dipped Emma grabbing her back and pulling her up close to him as they finished out the song together,

"Unforgettable in every way

And forever more, that's how you'll stay

That's why, darling, it's incredible

That someone so unforgettable…

Thinks that I am unforgettable too."

Will knelt down on one knee and pulled Emma's hand to his lips and kissed it gently as the audience roared with applause. The touch of his lips to her skin brought Emma's nerves back and her head spun at how good just that little peck felt.

Everyone in the crowd was cheering and it was clear they had won the little contest tonight. The MC handed Will the trophy and he shook it at the kids in excitement as they stood there stunned. Ms. Pillsbury's angelic voice matched with Mr. Schue's perfectly and the girls grabbed their hearts in delight.

They headed over to the kids and everyone hollered for the pair while Rachel came up to Ms. Pillsbury,

"You're voice was magnificent and confident, yet you held a vulnerable tone…If I didn't know any better I'd say you're an older version of myself."

Emma smiled at Rachel's interesting form of a compliment and thanked her and the rest of the kids.

Will told everyone of how proud he was for them being flexible with all of the changes and told them they would've done outstanding today had they performed.

"Thanks, Mr. Schue. You still got it yourself, we learn from you everyday… in more than just singing.." Finn piped up as Will gave him a hug.

"Alright, it's time to head to your rooms soon. Curfews are 10 and lights out by 11, understood? We've got a long drive home tomorrow so we all need our rest."

Everyone nodded and headed out to enjoy their last 30 minutes of freedom before they had to be in their rooms for the night.

"Great job out there, Will."

Emma came up patting him on the shoulder as they walked out of the lounge area and headed for the elevator with their trophy.

"Em, you were the one making me look good. We sounded awesome together, you know, some people just go together and it's natural."

Emma looked over at him and he wasn't making eye contact but a small smile played on his lips.

"Yeah.. Yeah they do."

And the pair moved into the elevator sharing another look as the doors closed.

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**a/n: Thoughts? Share them! My writing partner and I are very excited for what's ahead so continue showing the love. Again, thank you all!**


	4. Room Checks, Bonding, and a Special Gift

**A/N: You guys are simply amazing. I have nothing to say but enjoy and thank you SO much! :)**

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Emma and Will stepped off of the elevator reaching floor 12 and headed towards their room. Emma was still a little buzzed but most of the alcohol had burned off from Will kissing her hand and bringing all of her nerves back.

She wanted to do something… _anything_ to show him she wanted him but she was nervous and the only thing she figured would work could be to just kiss him…

But then again, what if he pushed her off? The humiliation would be too much to shake off and maybe he just—well, she didn't really know how he would react but she was too afraid to see right now. If he kissed back, what would that mean? A relationship with Will? Emma's stomach fluttered at the thought of that and then realized they were still so far from that point.

They finally reached their room and Emma shrugged off her cardigan to reveal her sleeveless blouse with ruffles and sprayed down the sheets and wiped down every surface of the room before falling back onto the bed.

Will watched her complete her cleaning ritual and fall back onto the bed to relax as her eyes shut for a moment.

He hesitated for a moment before moving to sit beside Emma on their bed.

"Here, sit up, you could use this."

Emma's heart raced as she sat up.

Will slowly moved his hands to turn her away from him and let his hands move onto her shoulders and near her neck. Emma looked down and her eyes shut as he began massaging her back. She quickly licked her lips and held back a small moan as he worked his strong, yet gentle grip on her shoulders and down her back.

"T—thanks for doing this Will, I—I didn't realize how tight I was. I—I mean tense, I'm—I'm very uh, tired and t—tense."

Will almost choked on her comment as he continued working his fingers down her back and back up into her neck. The skin he felt was soft and smooth and he wanted so badly to pull her hair up and kiss the area behind her ear but he resisted.

Emma bit down on her lip now as his fingers touched along her shoulders and slipped down to her arms a little more. She was just about to turn around to stop him and push him back onto the bed to kiss him when his hands stopped moving.

"…Will?" With her body still facing away from him, Emma's eyes wandered to look at his hands that were moving away from her now and she grew nervous.

"Em, It uh,—It's already 10, we should go check and make sure the kids are all in for the night. Don't you think?"

Will could hardly catch his breath from the moment they had just shared.

He was still amazed that Emma would let him touch her skin so much. He'd only ever seen two other men touch Emma and they both had just accidentally brushed by her arm but she had anxiety attacks both times.

Did he just seem clean? What was it about him that made her not care? He wasn't sure but he knew if he wasn't careful he was going to do something more than just touch her if she allowed his hands to be on her again.

Emma finally moved off the bed and stood up, and Will noticed when she turned around she seemed…flustered.

"Y—Yeah, you know, we should check their rooms. G—good plan. Um, ok, how about I check all the girls rooms and you check the guys?"

"Sounds like a great idea, I'll see you in a bit. Hopefully we won't have to do any hunting them down, huh?"

"No, I'm sure they've settled in. They're good kids, Will."

Emma smiled up at him as they walked out and took her card key as well as his noticing he had forgotten it.

"Wouldn't want to forget this, would we?"

"Oh yeah, that, that wouldn't have been fun trying to get a new one from the front desk on a busy night like tonight's. I really can't ever thank you enough for all you do for me Em. You just keep me on track when things get a little …crazy."

"It's what I'm here for, Will. You um…you do the same for me, you know,"

Will looked down at Emma and whispered 'yeah' moving a little closer to her and Emma panicked and bid him a quick goodbye as she headed the opposite direction.

Will snapped his fingers together in slight frustration, and headed for the guys rooms.

---

"So what's it like to be in love, Ms P?" Mercedes chimed in as all of the girls now sat together around Ms. Pillsbury as she hugged her knees together on the bed.

Emma had come in to check on Mercedes and Tina in their room but had found all of the girls scattered around talking to each other and playing music on their laptops as they danced around. They pulled her into the room and Emma resisted a little before they persistently kept making her dance with them when finally the last song of the mix stopped and they all sat down together on the bed.

She had never had those girl talks in high school with the big sleepovers where you gushed about boys and make-up and…she was actually kind of enjoying it with them tonight. Her germophobia hadn't allowed for a lot of friends in high school and certainly the idea of sleeping at another person's house had just terrified her. But Emma had grown up since then and she smiled around at the girls of all different types enjoying their high school years together as one group.

"In love? Gosh…girls, I—I don't know, I mean, I guess it's…well it's like you lived your whole life one way doing things your own way and focused on your own goals and—and then one day someone comes into your life and you, you don't forget about your own things you know but, it's like this other person's goals and disappointments are just as important to you as your own. Like you—you want to know everything about them, and—and it's like when you're with that person, you're a better version of yourself. You forget about…about the germs and messes—"

Emma stopped after she realizing she said 'germs' and blushed looking down. All of the girls realized exactly who Emma was referring to when she said that last line and they smiled at each other.

Quinn spoke up finally, just voicing what everyone else had been thinking,

"So you mean… someone like Mr. Schue, who does that for you, right?"

Emma looked around nervously not realizing just how obvious her attraction to Will had become over the past few years, but…they were smart girls, she figured it was only a matter of time.

"I—I, well y—you girls, no, um, look, the—the man who I would, or already…love, he—he's very special to me. A—and to be in love, well it's…while it can be more heartbreaking than anything you'll ever experience…it, well it brings some pretty special moments to outweigh those bad ones."

All of the girls shared "awws" together and Emma smiled around the room hoping the best for them with their guys someday.

"It's s-s-s-soo cute w-when Mr. Schue b-b-brags about you to-to us for being s-so c-c-caring all the time." Tina stumbled out and Emma gave her a quizzical look.

"W—What are you talking about?"

"Mr. Schue's always complimenting how caring you are with others who don't seem to always 'fit the mold' and tells us to be like that when we're all fighting with each other at practice."

"Yeah, Ms. P, his face just lights up when he talks about you.. boy's got it hard."

Emma's lips curled into a small smile and she tried to hide it but the girls could immediately tell.

Santana and Brittney gave each other matching sly grins.

"Is he gonna be your first, Ms. P?"

Emma's eyes grew wide and she looked up at the two back and forth and then around to everyone else who seemed to be awaiting her reply.

"G—Girls, now that's n—not really anyone's business but um no, he—he wouldn't be my um, first, if...if he um, well a—anyway, um, Will and I aren't even dating right now so—"

"—Oh I doubt that will last much longer, Ms. Pillsbury. You two are quite the compatible match. I am quite curious though, were you in love with him…when, well when he was still with his, his…wife." Rachel barely sputtered out the last word at just above a whisper and all of the girls moved closer to wait for her response.

Emma contemplated for a moment just how much she should be sharing with a group of high school girls but she figured, honesty was her best policy. She knew the best guidance often came from past experiences so she took in a deep breath and began,

_Emma was scrubbing furiously at a spill on the table she had occupied during lunchtime in the teacher's lounge on her first day. It wasn't even her spill…somebody had spilt their coffee and just ran off leaving the stain to sink into table and oozing fumes out everywhere while the mysterious person's little sacked lunch was getting soaked now._

_Just then a man came running in with 2 big handfuls of paper towels and headed for the mess._

"_I—I'm so sorry, that was my spill I left to go find some paper towels and it must've leaked out worse than I thought—"_

_Will looked up to finally meet the eyes of the women who had been scrubbing at his mess and was taken back by her looks._

"_Uhm, no no, it's um—it's no problem, I just—just saw the coffee spreading across the table and figured I'd um, cl—clean it up. I—I'm Emma, by the way."_

_Will continued wiping down the mess as he sat to join this mysterious new woman. Her eyes were…captivating._

"_N—nice to meet you, I'm Will Schuester, head of the Language department. I teach Spanish, and I'm guessing you're the new guidance counselor?"_

_Emma nodded and picked up Will's paper towels and her wipes along with her plastic gloves and tossed them all into the trash before coming back to join him. It was her first day and she hadn't really made much of any friends yet, but this man seemed…promising. He was friendly, a little messy, but really attractive…_

"_I—I am indeed, um, I hear the last one was a bit of a downer around here."_

"_Yeah, I mean I know nobody's perfect and all but you'd think a guidance counselor would have a little more positive outlook on life…or at least some good morale and pep to share with the kids. Ms. Kane just didn't offer the kids what they needed and I'm sure she's found a better career in marketing."_

_Emma smiled at his attempt to describe the old guidance counselor, noting that every other person had badmouthed up and down when they got the chance. But not Will. _

"_That's um, really nice of you to say about her, I…I hope I can change things as the new counselor around here. I—I mean, like you said, uhm, nobody's perfect but…I'll really try to do my best for the kids."_

_Will smiled back at Emma who seemed so sweet and compassionate already. And not to mention she was a lot prettier to look at then Ms. Kane or any other staff he'd become so familiar with over the years…_

"—_can I ask you something? I—I know I just met you but, um, I haven't felt comfortable really asking anyone else this…"_

_Will's brow knitted with concern and he immediately nodded his head and asked her to continue._

"_Well…do—do you know if there's a…a route that you could get to my office from the North doors without passing by the library?"_

_Will was completely taken aback by her question in so many ways. _

"_Um—what, why do you need a different route to get to your office? Is—is someone causing trouble for you or pulling a prank because you just tell me and I'll straighten them out."_

_Emma laughed a little at Will's sudden protective behavior and realized she was starting to enjoy this man's company a lot. Was he single? She tried to glance at his left hand but it was wrapped around his coffee mug with his ring finger not showing._

"_No, gosh, no…I—well, I just have a bit, well I just—I have trouble with germs a—and used books…and the smells—"_

_Will leaned back in his chair a little and smiled at her._

"—_wh—what? I, I know it's very weird and it can cause a lot of problems but—"_

_He sat forward again and moved his hand to touch hers but remembered and pulled it back quickly. _

"_No, no, Emma. I—I don't think it's weird at all…we all have our own…quirks and traits that set us apart. Yours just happens to be a little problem with germs, it's—it's really nothing to be ashamed of."_

_Emma was stunned. Her mouth gaped open even a bit as he reassured her. She'd never met a man in her life, besides her father, who had seen her phobia as a "quirk" rather than an "irrational, silly fear" of things. She was really starting to like this man._

"_I…I was actually laughing because I use the route to get to the administration and counseling offices that I'm about to show you but…it's not to avoid the library."_

"_W—what is it to avoid?" Emma eyed him curiously as he moved to get up and she joined him trying to find his ring finger but he had his sacked lunch covering it now._

"_Sue Sylvester. You'll…you'll get to know her more as the year goes on. Just—you'll understand when you meet her. But see? We all have our own little secrets, ours are just… different in size and shape."_

_Emma grinned brightly and he swung the door open for her as she stepped through to let him show her the new route back to her office._

"_Gosh, thanks for helping me out with all of this today Will, you're—you're very sweet."_

_She finally looked down at his finger that shined with a golden band as he brought his hand to the back of his neck and her heart just dropped._

"_No—no problem at all, now let's get you set for these hallways so the kids don't eat you up and spit you out." He joked lightly and noticed Emma's eyes had grown bigger and her hands were clenched together now._

"_I—I didn't mean to say that, you…you'll do awesome, Emma. You seem like a very compassionate, positive person…and, well you've already made a friend who will help you along the way."_

_Emma shot him a small smile trying to hold back tears that threatened to come._

_It was silly to be so wrapped up in just one person from one conversation but…it took him 3 minutes to understood her when it took most men months just to try to ignore her problem and eventually they'd ignore her when they couldn't look past it. He didn't try to look past it though; he embraced her for who she was. And he was…married. Maybe even a father.._

_Emma had developed a new secret that day besides her mysophobia; she'd fallen in love with a married man._

"—shoot, that's some heartbreak if I ever saw it, Ms. P. So you didn't technically fall for a married man because you didn't know he'd already been hitched."

All of the girls nodded with Mercedes' comment and pulled out the box of tissues. Emma quickly swiped away a stray tear remembering the day Will had come into her life and smiled at the girls through watery eyes.

"Girls…what's important is, we never did anything while he was with…with his wife. And—while maybe at times, I wanted to…I knew it wasn't right and, and things, well they take…time to be right. Great things don't always come right away,"

"—sounds like he NEEDS to just make a move already, or you do…" Santana crossed her arms and everyone chimed in agreement.

"I—it's not that simple now, he…well, we've been through some different things together and, and sometimes people grow apart and the person you always thought you'd be with really just ends up being someone who got you through a difficult time."

"Is that what you believe Mr. Schue was? Just someone helping you through a hard time?"

Emma knew in her heart the answer to that question and cursed Rachel Berry for getting straight to the matter. She knew in that moment what she'd been trying to fight for the past few months now.

"…No… no I don't think Will could ever be just…'someone' to me."

"I really don't think he is either, Ms. P.

The girls all moved at once to give Emma a hug and while she started to shake and had always feared the idea of any sort of 'group hug', she let them wrap around her and a few tears fell.

"..Th—thanks, girls….For everything."

They all pulled back and beamed at her with pride.

"M—ms. P-P-P. I—I think I s-s-peak for the group when I s-s-say you've helped u-us all j-just as much through high s-s-chool."

"Yeah, I mean, you helped me with the bird that one time it was in my locker… and when my parents…got divorced." Brittney spoke the last part out softly and they all patted her on the back, reassuring her.

"You girls have something truly special here, please don't ever forget these moments."

All of the girls smiled and Emma bid them goodnight and before she shut the door to head back to join Will she heard Mercedes call out, "now go get your man, girl. C'mon," and they all laughed together as Emma just grinned and left.

--

At the exact same moment Emma had gone to the girls rooms to check with them before bed, Will had went to Finn and Matt's room to check when he found all of the guys huddled over the TV watching the football game except Kurt who sat cross-legged on the edge, surprisingly not looking bored.

"—hey guys, just checking for the night. You all can hang around until the game ends but after that let's try to get some rest, huh? What's the score by the way?"

"It's Cowboys 28-21 right now Mr. Schue and only a quarter left. I wish our football team could score double digits sometime like the pros."

"Yeah, thaaat's a joke. Especially since the best player on the team was our kicker 'cept he quit on us." Puck jabbed Kurt in the arm as he passed by him.

"Hey—hey, those football helmets with their rosy hues just don't work on my complexion. For those of you who don't know…complexion is the color of that face you never wash or care to exfoliate."

The rest of the guys just stared at Kurt with confused looks like they often did and he just gave them his typical 'you imbeciles' look.

"Why do I even try…?" Kurt said to the air as Puck grabbed Will by the shoulder.

"Speaking of lady things…Mr. Schue, what's up with the single bed in your little love shack with Ms. Pillsbury, huh? Looking to get lucky tonight?"

Will shrugged Puck off and looked around the room at the guys waiting for his response.

"Alright—I've been telling you guys to cut that kind of crap out about Ms. Pillsbury. I know it's just us guys in here now but that doesn't make a difference and I don't like you talking about her like that, ok?"

Everybody seemed to mellow out and most of them looked down realizing they overstepped their boundary.

"…we're sorry, Mr. Schue. We—we just like to joke around but, but we were wondering…I mean is there really nothing goin' on between you two still?" Finn asked as he chanced a look up.

Will realized he should just come clean about it, and they were afterall, kind of like his own sons that he'd taken a liking to over the past year as he grew to know each of them.

"Listen..ah, guys it's—it's different when you…when you get older. I was a young guy too once and thought about all the pretty girls and which ones I'd try to go after…but, you know, you only end up with one down the road if you want that family and the home life. And…and I thought I'd lost that with—with Terri. But, through my divorce, I—I realized I had found the person who'd really always been there for me and who understood me and wanted me to be just be me."

"Wait…are we still talking about chicks?" Finn scratched his head and Will grabbed the back of his neck in frustration like he always did.

"Yeah, I mean, well guys it's hard to explain. But, Emma…she's more than just another girl, she's 'the' girl. I know you won't get this now but, one day you're going to find that girl who stood by you when no one else did and forgave you when you messed up and praises you through the things you do…and—and when you find that girl, you don't let her go…"

Will suddenly came to the realization that he had in fact been letting Emma go for the past few months. She was scared and afraid to let him into her life, and…he knew this but yet each time he tried to make a move, it's almost like he was waiting for her to push him away—like he was scared too.

_He had been strumming his fingers on the guitar after Glee rehearsals one afternoon when he felt fingers wrap around his shoulders and he jumped._

"—_Hey! What um, what were you playing there?"_

_Will turned around to see Emma looking brightly at him in a new yellow sundress with black heels just twiddling her thumbs as she stood before him. He swung his guitar to the side of his body using the strap and lightly laughed,_

"_It—it's nothing…but what—what's gotten into you? You seem just, really…happy today."_

_Emma had been seeing a counselor for awhile and Will knew her moods were in ups and downs but lately she'd been more herself and more happy then he'd ever seen her since he'd known her. He figured she had finally closed that chapter on her life with her father and he was thrilled to have helped her through such a rough time._

"_I'm…I'm just really happy, Will. I feel like I've finally let go of something and new doors are opening. You know, that's—that's always what makes people happy…n—new doors and opportunities."_

_Will noticed Emma was swaying on her heels and had inched a little closer to him._

"—_and you know a new opportunity for something is…well I—I really want to overcome my mysophobia. You know, I just feel like…like it's time. If I ever want to move forward in life, I can't keep worrying about something that happened when I was a little girl."_

_Will was stunned. He'd never heard Emma talk about her problem as something to overcome—it seemed like she had always sort of talked as if she was already defeated._

"_I…I want you, to help me too Will. I want—need um, some…some help with it to make sure, you know that I don't… relapse later."_

"_O—of course, Em. I'd love to help but…what exactly can I do?"_

_Emma was waiting for him to ask this very question,_

"_Well…you remember that one time when you…you put a little chalk dust on my nose? I think that helped me, it…it didn't bother me."_

"_So…you want me to put chalk dust on your nose again?"_

"_Uhm, no, um Will I…I want you to…"_

_Emma licked her lips and her stomach started fluttering and her hands shook as she realized exactly what she was doing now. Her high was starting to slowly dissipate with each second he stared at her._

"…_I—I want you to kiss me."_

_Will's mouth involuntarily dropped a bit as Emma moved forward even more standing in between his legs, leaving a very small gap between them as he sat shocked on the wooden stool. He could hardly move. It had been so long since he'd kissed Emma and he…well, he was completely frozen._

"…_Will…" Emma whispered in almost a plea as she took her eyes off of him and looked down at her shoes, suddenly growing embarrassed and afraid._

"_E—Emma, I—"_

_She blinked a couple times rapidly,"—it's fine, I'm—I'm sorry,"_

_And Emma moved back and brushed her hands across his thighs as she hurriedly moved away towards the door and with the feel of her warmth on his skin, his arm shot out to stop her in an impulse._

_Emma didn't dare look into his eyes now and he just held onto her arm for a moment more. He didn't know what to say or…what to even do. He wanted to kiss her so badly, but he was scared and now if he did kiss her, she'd think he just felt sorry or something—_

"_I—I really should be going. I'm sorry to—um—goodbye Will."_

_And in another second, Emma was out the door and he looked into the empty hallway whispering a 'goodbye'._

He snapped out of his daze when Puck shouted that the Cowboys had just won, and Will shook his head to regain his composure.

"Alright, it's—it's time to get on to bed, c'mon…everybody out."

As Puck walked out of the room he slipped a little something into Will's front shirt pocket and patted it down.

"Here, try to remember what it's like to be young again, ok?"

Will just gave him a funny look and headed the opposite direction to settle in for the night when he reached down to pull out what Puck had handed him.

He quickly shoved it down into his jean pockets as he realized what it was.

"Classic, Puck…"

Will finally reached the room just as Emma was sliding her card key on the door.

After all of those past thoughts rushing back to him about Emma when he was with the guys, Will had almost forgotten about the fact that he'd be sharing a bed with the her tonight…_almost._

"..Heey, Em."

He unsuccessfully tried to play it cool and audibly gulped as Emma met his eyes.

Emma looked up to see Will with anxiety and…nervousness…in his face now.

She tried to calm down, tried to relax her breathing…but thinking she was about to lie down on the other side of this door with a man who was more than just 'someone' to her—it was just a little too much to handle.

"…Hii, Will."

And they both stepped through the door with an unspoken tension beginning to fill the air.

* * *

**A/N: Oh no! Cliffhanger much? Love it? Let us know! Everyone enjoying the flashbacks?**


	5. Giving In

**A/N: Thank you ALL for the amazingly wonderful reviews, I cannot believe how many are reviewing and you are all so darling and sweet! Note: there is a song in this chapter (neither are singing though) and I encourage any and all to look it up on iTunes or youtube because it's a powerful song and sets the tone for that moment.**

**Anyway, enjoyyyy!**

* * *

Will and Emma moved into the room after Emma swiped the keycard and they walked inside. The air was thick with something that neither could really describe, but things had…changed.

Emma looked at Will and then looked down at his bare ring finger, thinking on the story she'd just shared with the girls about the first time she'd met him. He hadn't been wearing his ring for months, and…still she didn't feel any closer to being with him.

Will walked towards the nightstand and took off his watch noticing Emma's eyes on him. He wanted to look up and meet her eyes but he was afraid of what might happen. His thoughts were running rapid with old memories of Emma and he was growing angry with himself thinking of how many times she's slipped through his fingers. If he tried to make a move now, she'd think he expected something more and it wasn't the case at all…He just wanted to be with her and know that she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

_When did things get so complicated?_

They shared this thought as they stood motionless and finally met each other's eyes feeling one another staring.

"S—so did you tuck all the boys into bed?"

Will let out a hardy breath and laughed at Emma's comment, but then he got to thinking about how much he wished in this moment that they had 'boys' to tuck in before bed… _God, get a grip Will._

"You know, they were all actually hanging out together. Even Puck and Finn have really put aside their differences and bonded on this trip. It's…it's kinda nice."

"Yeah, you know the girls were all in their PJ's having a little slumber party together. They were dancing and singing, they even pulled me into the mix for a little while."

"You—dancing and singing with them? How 'bout that… I would've liked to see that."

Emma laughed and shook her head,

"I—I don't think so, I'm pretty sure the last of the…the buzz from those drinks has completely wore off. It's—it's not like me to drink, guess I'm a bit of a lightweight."

"I never would've guessed you were a lightweight,"

Will laid on the sarcasm and poked at her stomach jokingly. Emma giggled and pushed him in the arm letting it stay there as their laughter subsided.

She caught her breath in her throat slightly and Will moved away towards the bed avoiding the awkward tension they had tried to ignore.

"Well, we might as well get to bed. With traffic and the weather still bad, it's—it's gonna be a long day. I'll just uh—"

He moved to his duffel bag to unzip it and grabbed out the periwinkle shirt for Emma along with his toothbrush, a white T shirt and flannel pajama pants to change into.

"Here's the shirt, still clean I think," Will winked and moved past her leaving Emma to change while he was in the bathroom.

He closed the door to the bathroom and turned on the cold water, splashing his face. Will could usually handle the amount of impulses he had to kiss Emma but tonight with the possibility of being alone with her and having a bed to themselves…he just couldn't shake the nerves and be himself. This was Emma Pillsbury, the Emma who'd stood by him when literally his world and his life fell apart.

"_Will, I—I promise, things are going to work out, ok. Y—you have to just remember that all those years together wasn't a waste, you needed to grow and thought you wanted to spend the rest of your life with her…it's…it's human, we're only human. We make mistakes—"_

"—_It's not just ONE mistake, Emma! It's like almost a decade of my life spent with someone who couldn't just tell me the truth when she wasn't pregnant! Someone who lied and hurt me in order to…to keep me? I don't—I just don't fucking it."_

_Emma jumped a bit when she heard him use that word. She's never seen Will so angry and hurt and sad all at once. In fact, she'd never seen him snap at her either…she just wished it would all be fixed already._

_Will stood up from the chair in her office and began pacing around the room with his fists clenched._

"_I—I'm sorry...I just---I'm so angry and I don't understand why she thought our marriage worked because I felt bad about myself…I don't, I didn't feel bad about myself in high school…but, but if she thought that then it's all just been a lie. Not just the baby thing, everything…just one big fu—stupid lie."_

_He caught himself that time but Emma's winced face still seemed to crush him. He couldn't do anything right these days. He'd finally just served Terri with divorce papers after grueling weeks and had come in to vent to Emma. She was there for him through all the grumbling and frustrations after they kissed and took a few steps back from the romantic aspect of their relationship…right now, he just needed a friend. She saw this other side of Will, but Emma knew that wasn't his heart. His heart was just clouded by the situation and the person Terri would turn him into when she was around._

_Will grabbed the back of his neck with both hands and Emma thought he'd started to…_

_A sudden whimper came from him and Will moved and faced away from Emma. He was so embarrassed that he was wearing every emotion on his sleeve in front of her right now but he was so overwhelmed. _

"_Will…are—are you…"_

_Will covered his face and Emma moved to stand right behind him and placed her hand on his back rubbing it soothingly. _

"_It's, it's okay, Will.. just let it out. I'm here for you, I'll always be here for you honey."_

_Emma had accidentally let that last part slip, but she didn't regret it. She meant it._

_He turned around to face her with tears in his eyes and Emma wanted to just kiss them away but she resisted. He was overwhelmed… he needed clarity not confusion._

_So she said nothing more and just hugged him. He clung to her and they stood there for at least the next five minutes as Will finally regained his composure. _

"_Y—you're right, Em. This was needed for me to grow and become the person I am today and I shouldn't ask for anymore than that. And now that it's over, I'm just starting a new chapter in my life. I—it's a good thing, I guess I just, it's hard because you start to feel like you gave up—"_

_Emma, without thinking about the germs, put both of her small hands to his cheeks and looked him in the eyes._

"_Will, you need to listen to me…You never gave up. Never. You tried for 5 years to work together on a marriage that started too soon in life, you did every possible thing for her through that fake pregnancy and allowed yourself to have passions outside of your job...you found a club that let you express not only what you felt but gave that opportunity to all of those kids too. They needed that outlet and you've done so much for them. If anyone ever gave up, it certainly was not YOU. Please, please Will…just know that. I—I know I can be b-biased but, it's the truth."_

_She retreated her hands back to her side and sheepishly looked away realizing how close she'd been to his face._

"_I…I don't even know what to say, Emma…thank you, I don't deserve a…friend like you in my life."_

_He pulled her into another hug and Emma smiled with a small twinge of bitterness wishing he'd express more of what he thought about her but, now wasn't the time._

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bathroom door, Emma was standing by the bed as she pulled down her skirt and removed her shirt to slip on Will's shirt leaving on her bra and panties. It was a little cool but it smelt like Will and Emma breathed in the scent pretending for a moment that there were other reasons why she was wearing the shirt of the man she was in love with. Emma chuckled to herself thinking she could ever really replace Will. As much as she had wanted to while he was married, Emma knew he was the only she could ever see herself with.

_She had never meant to make things more complicated, quite the contrary. She wanted to un-complicate things with her plan. It was only a month before she'd find out that her father had passed away._

_Too many near misses of kissing Will had caused Emma to revaluate the way she'd been doing things. Her methods needed to change or something had to spark this rut they were falling into._

_He was a friendly, fairly good-looking man she'd met in the cleaning aisle at Target. He seemed to share a love for solvents and Emma flirted a little. It was easy and fun, nothing complicated and while he was no Will, he was available and he was clean._

_Will had still been recovering from his divorce and Emma had retreated back into the friend zone with him. He seemed afraid to touch her or hold her as more than a friend after he signed the papers with Terri…like he had forgotten he wasn't married anymore or something. She knew it would take time, but after another month of nothing from him other then coming to talk or vent his emotions—she couldn't handle it anymore. _

"_So, you uh, like to clean things huh?"_

_Emma jumped back from choosing between to different scents of Clorox wipes when a man spooked her._

_He was tall, good skin complexion, clean-cut, sandy blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. Emma's attention was definitely caught._

"_Uh—yeah, I—I do. And you are?"_

"_Oh, sorry…My name's Luke Littlefield."_

"_Well it's nice to meet you, Luke..."_

_Emma was thankful when he didn't put his hand out for her to shake, he seemed sweet._

"—_And you are?"_

_She hadn't even realized she was dazed. That sure hadn't happened in awhile with any guy other than Will._

"_Emma Pillsbury, sorry…I—I'm just a little distracted tonight."_

_Luke smiled at her and looked down at the floor._

_Was he nervous? Was Emma making this good looking man actually nervous?_

"_I—I was wondering if you'd like to go out sometime? I..I promise I don't usually do this type of thing, and by saying that I sound like one of those jerks who actually does that kind of stuff but…well, I—I just really wanted to talk to you. I—I've seen you in this aisle before and you-you're a very beautiful woman."_

_Luke started to retreat a little when Emma just stared at him and she surprised herself when she grabbed his arm._

"_Ahh, um, that—that sounds like fun, Luke. W—What did you have in mind?"_

_She couldn't believe she'd just touched his arm…and even more, accepted his offer. _

_He let out a big grin and Emma noticed his teeth were perfect and white. Wow…this guy was quite a catch. _

"_Well, I'm not really a fan of movie theatres…they're just really dirty, but um—I know this Italian restaurant uptown, Battista, it has received pretty positive reviews. It's supposed to be some great food."_

_Emma sucked in a little breath, this was almost too good to be true. He didn't like dirty theatres…and that restaurant happened to be her favorite. She walked by it just last week and wished Will could take her there someday.. _

_Will…_

_She'd forgotten for a moment about him. Emma almost felt bad all of the sudden for going on a date with another man but, it was obvious Will would've made it clear he wanted more but he hadn't. After they kissed, she told him that she would wait but it'd been almost 3 months since his divorce and he wasn't doing anything. She'd seen the movie like the rest of the hopeless romantics in American, "He's Just Not That Into You"…maybe he really wasn't into her like she'd hoped._

"_That sounds wonderful, Luke. Here's my number,"_

_Emma smiled to herself for her boldness and her heart started racing when he moved closer to take the number. Their fingers brushed as she handed him the small piece of paper and she only jumped a little. It was an improvement._

"_Great, I'll call you later."_

_She smiled at him and turned spinning on her heels in the opposite direction with her little basket. _

_Two weeks had passed and she had gone on a few evening dates with Luke and genuinely enjoyed his company. He was a Pediatric surgeon and while he was often on-call, he found time to see Emma. One day he came to the school and surprised her with a picnic basket. _

_Will and Emma had been sitting at the table with a few other staff when he walked up._

"…_Hii, Emma."_

_Everyone looked up to find him staring at her with shining eyes._

"_Oh—Luke! What, what are you doing here?"_

_Will looked between the two quickly and suddenly his heart sunk. For the past two weeks he'd seen Emma less and she seemed abnormally high in spirits…what's this guy coming in and taking her from him? But technically, she wasn't his… a pang of jealousy shot through his heart as he imagined the two of them together and letting Luke touch her. Had they kissed yet? Was he allowed to touch her? He'd never experience this kind of territorial thing over Emma—Ken was always kind of a joke since Will knew she'd flinch everytime he was around. This guy was different…_

"_Just thought I'd surprise you on my day off and bring a little picnic to have lunch with you. I already scrubbed the apples and grapes twice."_

_Emma blushed and stood up to give him a peck on the cheek as she took the basket in her hands._

_Will grew even more worried…she definitely wasn't afraid to touch him._

"_W—who exactly are you?"_

_He didn't mean to come off rude but, well, he wanted to know._

_Luke finally took his eyes off Emma and glanced at the table._

"_Oh, I'm so sorry—Luke, Luke Littlefield."_

_He took Will's hand and gave it a firm shake and introduced himself to the rest of the table._

_Emma watched Will closely trying to read his reactions. Her eyes grew big when she saw a twinge of jealousy show and it made her stomach flutter._

"_Well, let's get going, huh Em?"_

_He clenched his teeth…he was the only who called her Em. Who WAS this guy!_

"_O—ok, just let me get my purse and we'll head out."_

_They exited the room after Emma gathered her stuff and all of the teachers started gossiping,_

"_He's gorgeous, did you see the way he looked at her? Like she was a princess or something…wish my husband did that kind of stuff still."_

"_Oh I know, and the little peck she gave him? That's a big step for Emma…she usually won't touch anyone with a ten-foot pole."_

"—_Hey, hey she lets me touch her."_

_They all looked at Will who snapped a little._

"_Geez Will, we're just saying…he seems—good for her."_

_Will huffed a little and rolled his eyes._

"_Whatever, he seems like a tool."_

_All of the teachers noticed his cheeks growing flushed and it sparked their interest._

"_Looks like someone is a little jealous of Luke…."_

"—_I'm not…I'm not jealous. I just don't want to see Emma get hurt, ok."_

_And that was the end of their discussion. It was clear to everyone that whatever Will had thought of the guy, he was quite flustered now._

_Monday morning rolled around and Will decided he was going to confront Emma. He needed to confess his feelings for her and make a move. Enough damn waiting. He realized it shouldn't have taken a threat to make his move for her…but that's exactly what had happened. _

"_Emma—listen—we need to talk. I know that Luke is a nice guy but— wh—what's wrong?"_

_Emma got up quickly from her seat and moved to face away from Will as she shuffled papers around on the filing cabinet behind her desk. _

"_N—nothing, sorry. You caught me—at, at a bad time. I just have a lot of things to get done today."_

_Will nodded, unsure of what to say now and walked out of her office._

_Emma sucked back a breath and held her tears tightly in as best she could. _

_Luke and her had gone out for dinner on Saturday night and everything was going perfectly until he dropped her off at her house. He held her hand in his as they walked to the door and she grew nervous. She knew that look…the look that always sent the guy running after she pushed him away. _

"_I—I had a really, really great time tonight Em. You honestly always brighten my day and make things at work not seem so terrible when a surgery didn't go as planned…I—I just feel such a genuine connection with you that I've never felt with anyone."_

_Emma just looked with wide eyes and tried to speak but her words caught in her throat. She didn't say anything and suddenly looked down._

_He took her speechless demeanor and moved his finger under her chin to pull her face up to meet his eyes. _

"_And I love…this hair," he grabbed up a small curl of her hair gently and then dropped it. _

_His hands moved to the area above her hips and his lips parted as he leaned forward._

_For a moment, her lips parted too and her eyes closed but as soon as she felt his breath tickle her face she pushed her hands to his chest and he stepped back, shocked._

"—_What…what's wrong?"_

_Her hands grew clammy and her heart was racing. What WAS wrong with her? _

_Why couldn't she just kiss him?_

"_I—I don't…I don't know Luke, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm—I've got a problem with germs, you know that, and—and I guess it's just going to take longer than I thought…"_

_Luke pulled her into a little hug and kissed the top of her head._

"_I know, Emma. I know. I…I just… don't know if…if this is right for me. I think your feelings for me aren't like the strong feelings I have for you. I noticed the other day when I came to your work how that Will guy glared me down…You—well, you seemed like you were glad he was jealous or something.."_

_Emma's face grew hot and she was quickly growing embarrassed. Was she honestly that transparent and pathetic?_

"_I…I guess there's some past feelings still there…"_

"_Figures,"_

"_I'm sorry Luke, I promise I can try harder to ignore the germs—"_

_Luke took her hands in his and smiled down at her._

"—_Em, when you're with me…I want you to forget about the germs, not ignore them. It—it's obvious that this guy Will still has a hold on you and…as much as I have loved being with you, it's obvious someone else has your heart."_

_Emma stood there stunned. Part of her was thankful for Luke seeing that Will had her heart already…but the other part wanted to just move on and forget about Will and be with someone who pursued her. Was that so much to ask? She knew he was right though, and that was more heartbreaking than anything._

"_I'm sorry, I…I guess I'll just end up waiting for someone who won't come for the rest—rest of my life…" she could barely choke it out as tears started to fall._

"_Em, em, don't say that. Listen…I noticed that you were eyeing him when I came in that day but, it was nothing compared to the glares and concerned looks that Will was giving."_

"_Really? …he was that jealous?"_

_Luke let out a little laugh at her sudden peak of interest._

"_Yeah, yeah he was. Listen, I'm gonna head out but…I'm glad I could maybe have helped you two out in some way.."_

_Before Emma could speak he winked and turned to leave._

She folded her clothes she had taken off and put them into her purse carefully not crushing any other belongings. Emma took in a deep breath and looked at her hands,

_How much longer before one of us just gives in? _

Emma noticed the water was running still and Will must have been brushing his teeth now so she pulled out her iPod and wiped down the earbuds before sticking them in her ears. She just put it on shuffle and sat down in the chair leaning her head back to rest. The melodies of a piano began to play and she shut her eyes letting the words fill her mind,

"_The how I cant recall,_

_But I'm staring at_

_What once was the wall…_

_Separating east and west_

_Now they meet amidst_

_The broad daylight,_

_So this is where you are_

_And this is where I am…_

_Somewhere between_

_Unsure and a hundred"_

Thoughts rushed through her mind of every opportunity they both had to tell one another how they felt and had run away scared. Often times, she blamed Will for not stepping up but—she was just as guilty at this point.

_It's hard I must confess_

_I'm banking on the rest to clear away_

_Cause we have spoken everything_

_Everything short of I love you_

_You right where you are,_

_From right where I am_

_Somewhere between_

_Unsure and a hundred…_

_And who's to say its wrong_

_And who's to say that It's not right_

_Where we should be for now._

She loved him, she was fairly certain he felt the same way. So what was standing in between them? Was it just the fear of not working out and losing her best friend?

Emma rubbed her eyes as she pulled her head up and sat upright in the chair. She moved her fingers across the cherry darkwood desk as if she was playing the piano herself,

_So this is where you are_

_And this is where I am_

_So this is where you are_

_And this is where I've been_

_Somewhere between _

_Unsure and a hundred…_

Emma rolled her head back as the song stopped and realized the water had stopped in the bathroom. She pulled off her headphones and stood up, determined.

Slipping the iPod back into her bag, she reached through Will's shirt and unclasped her bra and tossed it into her purse as well and unbuttoned one more of the buttons leaving a deep V cut but not exposing herself. Emma walked with a new sense of confidence as the bathroom door swung open.

"Took you long enough, Will."

She walked past him with a smug smile and closed the bathroom door.

Will felt a mixture of shock and lust coursing through his veins as his mouth gaped open. Emma had only been wearing his shirt and it was so, so sexy on her. Her hair had been tussled up a little and as she walked in his eyes followed her derriere that was just barely covered by the end of the shirt.

He immediately tried to calm himself and his sudden arousal at the sight of her.

_Oh…oh god, she's gorgeous and just sexy as hell. I've never seen Emma so confident…_

Will couldn't shake what he had saw as he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his hand to his forehead.

Thoughts were running through his mind as he tried to piece things together…Emma hadn't even seemed excited when he asked her to come along but ever since they got on the bus—in the parking lot even—she seemed into him. She was always sending mixed signals, but Will guessed he had done the exact same.

_Emma looked herself over in the mirror once more and smoothed down her black dress turning to flash a forced smile at Will who was sitting on her bed in her bedroom. _

_They were getting ready to go to her father's funeral. He wasn't sure if she was still with Luke but he hadn't heard about him since he went into her office that day with her eyes sunken in. He had walked out and decided she could be happier with Luke if she wanted him to back off. _

_He just wanted her to be happy._

"_Will, you ready?"_

_Will nodded and they headed out of her apartment to the funeral home. Emma had asked him to come with her and Will immediately accepted. She was so tired and weak and her emotions were all over the place. On the drive there, the car ride was absolutely silent. _

_Emma just looked out the window solemnly watching the rain fall and Will didn't dare try to start a conversation. She was hurting and just needed a body near her, a body that wouldn't talk or complicate life more than it already was. _

_He understood this silence._

_When he had gone through his divorce and his emotions were up and down—he just wanted a friend to listen. Emma stood by him and now he was going to stand by her._

_During the lunch before the service, all of Emma's relatives just stood around talking and some were taking it especially hard. Emma's brother had come and given her a hug and shook Will's hand before walking away to be with his wife and two little boys again. She hugged her mom for awhile and Will just stood nearby, unsure of what to do. He'd never met her family but now wasn't really the time for formal introductions. _

_Later on, the funeral service had begun and Emma tried not to cry. She'd already let so many tears fall this week between ending things with Luke last week and now something she didn't expect to be so soon—the death of her father. Throughout the service, Will didn't say anything and she appreciated that. He just got her like no one else could._

_Towards the end of the service, she couldn't be strong anymore. Emma moved her hand brushing Will's and as soon as he opened it up, she grabbed it and held it tight._

_Afterwards she'd asked him to stay with her late into the night as they just watched movie after movie, he guessed since they were all old movies, that Emma had watched these with her father as a little girl. But he didn't dare ask. He just stroked her hair and held her close. Every so often he'd kiss into her hair and she'd only freeze for a moment before relaxing again. Towards midnight, Emma suddenly sat up and told Will she wanted to sleep and he should probably head home. He agreed and that was that. _

_Some of the closet moments the pair shared seemed to always end abruptly and unpredicted. Much like their relationship, it left a lot of unanswered questions and fears._

Will stood up and paced the floor before Emma suddenly reappeared and she seemed just as confident as before. He tried to keep his mouth from dropping as they moved towards their respective sides of the bed and pulled back the covers.

Will finally broke the silence that had fallen over them.

"I don't know about you but I'm pretty beat from this day,"

"Yeah, it's definitely been quite—quite exhausting. Tomorrow should be better though, we'll get to be back in our own beds and off these cold, icy roads. And Quinn and Puck can be with their little Annabelle."

They pulled back the sheets and climbed in at the same time. Emma purposefully scooted closer to Will and their bodies weren't touching but she could feel warmth being closer to him. Will didn't seem to notice that she'd inched closer.

"Oh I can't imagine if I had a newborn and had to be away from it for the first time. But their such strong kids, you know, those two are going to make great parents when they get the hang of things more."

Will lie on his back with his hands clasped across his chest and Emma lie on her side just looking at him. He felt her eyes burning into him and turned to meet her gaze.

She smiled at him and didn't seem offput by him catching her staring. She just turned slowly and lie on her back very close to him now with their arms brushing one another.

They lay in the dark for the next five minutes both just wide awake even though their bodies were exhausted. Neither could calm their racing hearts. Emma _finally_ said something and decided if tonight they weren't able to talk after lying in the same bed together then she…she needed to move forward with her life, without Will.

"—Will, are…are you still awake?"

"…Yes."

"What are we doing?"

He was taken back by her tone and the question itself. The words flooded his mind with a distinct memory of standing in a hallway as Emma had told him "he was having a baby…" the day after he'd dusted chalk off her nose.

"We're lying in bed—"

"—No, no. What are WE doing," and Emma turned to face him and grabbed his hand in hers emphasizing the 'we'.

He looked down at their joined hands in between their bodies and then looked up again to see Emma with that sad, doe-eyed look with a hint of frustration mixed in.

"I…I really don't know anymore,"

"Well why not?"

Emma seemed so determined to get everything out in the open.

They were like a small stream that developed into a river overtime, the two had been blocked from one another by a dam and now that the dam was open, it all came tumbling out…

He stared into her eyes with a longing and compassion,

"I don't know because…because somewhere along the way between me kissing you to get you to stay last year and right now—things got… complicated. But Emma, I—I don't want that anymore."

"What do you want?" Emma urged him on as she spoke in a hushed whisper.

"I…I want to be honest with you, I, well, is—is that ok? B—because if you're not ready or—"

"—Will, stop. Just…tell me. Be honest with me…please."

"…well, after—after the divorce was settled and, and I had finally found my grounding again, y-your dad passed away and—and then things just changed. I didn't want you to think I wasn't going to wait for you like you'd waited for me through a hard time. I wanted you to be ready to…to be with me. But, then when you started dating Luke and—that whole thing, it just shook me up a little I guess. I…Emma, I was jealous."

She stared at him with the biggest eyes he'd ever seen and let her free hand that wasn't holding his rest on her collarbone. He knew she did this when she grew nervous. Emma didn't speak so Will just continued,

"I was really jealous and…and I even tried to come in and tell you how I…well, um what I thought about things and that's when you were upset. Emma, sometimes I think that I know you so well and that's what scares me about us. It's too…it's too right, almost.."

"Too right? Will, that doesn't even make sense. Y—you're my best friend, you know. You're supposed to know me just like I know you…I—I keep trying to send you signals and telling you that I'm ready, and…practically forced myself onto you asking you to k—kiss me and still you did nothing. I—I don't understand, am I not good enough or something?"

Will started to let out a laugh and Emma almost glared at him. She couldn't understand why he would be laughing this off when she was pouring out her feelings like this.

He turned onto his back, dropping her hand still laughing and looking up at the ceiling as if he was sharing a joke with God.

"What?" Emma voiced in the most frustrated way she could muster, suddenly growing irritated with his behavior. Without waiting for his response she turned and looked at the ceiling herself crossing her arms.

Will was only laughing to himself at the mess they had created for themselves and realized how confusing and complicated they had made things.

He _did_ love her and he was pretty sure she loved him back, it didn't need to be complicated anymore.

Will turned to Emma who had a glare and pursed lips held and pulled her to face him. Her face quickly softened when she realized he wasn't laughing anymore.

"Emma, I'm tired of wasting time… being afraid. I can't be afraid of losing your friendship anymore. I want more, I…I want you. I want all of you."

Emma licked her lips and they stared at one another for a moment as they inched closer and their foreheads rested on one another. She shut her eyes trying to gain her bearings as her heart started racing. For a moment, the world stopped and it seemed surreal that they were finally able to have one another.

Without anymore hesitation, Will moved his head up and met her eyes before leaning in to kiss her. Emma moved to catch his lips with hers instantly and it was soft, slow and the unresolved tension slowly poured out. They left little kisses and teased one another as it became more heated and their smiles growing big as they nuzzled each other's noses.

"I'm tired of wasting my time being afraid too…" Emma said in a barely audible whisper as she looked away.

Will cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled back a little hesitant realizing his hands were touching her face when she moved her hands to cover his,

"So help me God, if you _don't _touch me I might have to kill you."

All hesitations were lost on both of them as he moved in to kiss her harder this time and after a few moments, Emma's mouth opened begging him to do more to her.

Will felt the movement and smoothly slipped his tongue into her mouth and they both moaned together in pleasure and relief.

"Oh Emma…"

She pushed him onto his back and moved so she was now lying on top of his body.

"Shhh.." she said before kissing him with more passion and fervor as his hands slip up her naked thighs and moved just below her bottom.

"Go…please.. Will,"

He didn't need anymore encouragement, and moved his hands up her backside cupping her ass in his hands and was stunned to feel lace panties under his fingertips. Emma left his mouth for a moment as she pulled up to straddle him and pushed his shirt up his chest feeling his abs under her fingertips.

"Goood, you're—you're making me crazy."

Emma blushed at her own words and Will grinned at the way she couldn't control herself and noticed her accent showing more now just as it always did when she got flustered. He wanted her to shout his name.

Will reached to pull his shirt up and threw it off the bed, gliding his hands along Emma's lower back as he pulled her towards him again.

Their mouths attacked one another and Emma moved down to his neck placing kisses along his chest while lightly scratching at his rippled muscles.

"Emmmm, oh…that—that feels so good."

Emma smiled at him mischievously and he took the pause to flip them over so he was lying on top of her now.

"Will.." she groaned into his chest as he moved above her body to push all of the pillows getting in the way behind her onto the floor. As he came back down he felt her licking at his chest and he gasped with wide eyes,

"Em—what—"

"Uh..uhm.."

He was growing more turned on by the minute as he watched a new side of Emma come alive. Emma didn't say a word more, but pulled him down to her mouth again and rubbed her hands along the backside of his neck massaging her fingers through his hair as she kissed him with all of the sexual frustrations she'd held in for so long.

Lying underneath Will kissing him seemed almost surreal. His tongue flowed along her skin and in her mouth and his fingers were everywhere touching and teasing. She was actually wrapped in the arms of the man she'd always longed of being with…she jumped when she felt his excitement growing against her thigh and pressing into her through his pajama pants. Emma pulled back quickly.

She was breathless, but it needed to be said,

"W—Will, is…is this too fast? I—I mean are you, are we ready for…for this?"

Will stared down at her nervous expression and kissed her on the forehead quickly trying to reassure her.

"Emma, I—I didn't expect to be right here today but…with you, everything just feels right and good. I've, well I've dreamed about being able to—to touch you like this. But, but if you aren't—"

"—No, no I'm ready. I…" she looked away and then back at him, "I—I've waited three years for this Will...please.."

He moved towards her again slowly and kissed her softly this time, leaning into her with his body on top still. Will moved to push some hair out of Emma's face and stared down at her.

"You are so beautiful, Emma. I need you to know that. You—you drive me wild sometimes and you don't even realize it…"

Emma swallowed at the words he was sharing with her; she licked her swelling lips and smiled brightly at him.

"I…I feel the same way, Will. You're the only man I've ever let touch me and actually enjoyed it…"

"Is that so…" the words slowly dragging out now, he was teasing as he noticed Emma biting her lip again in impatience.

Will didn't even wait for her reply as he moved back from Emma's face and began unbuttoning the shirt she was wearing.

"W—Will,…" she gasped at his slow movements down her body as he kissed each new area that was exposed while undoing each button.

"Emma, I like this shirt…but I think it'd look much better off of you," he licked his lips quickly and pulled the last button as the shirt opened up exposing her breasts.

She flinched, feeling very self-conscious and he moved his hands on each side of her stomach as he leaned down to whisper in her ear,

"I told you you're beautiful and sexy…don't make me keep proving it…"

Emma shook at his words and the implications they made. She was speechless and suddenly his hands were everywhere along her stomach and he slowly inched up cupping each of her breasts in his hands as he massaged them and watched her reactions.

She twitched and withered under his soft, but firm touches and closed her eyes enjoying the sensation. He stopped for a brief moment and pulled away but Emma let out a small whimper and he continued.

"W..Will, it's—it's my turn…"

And without giving him a chance to move, Emma moved forward and pushed Will back with her hands forcefully as she tumbled on top of him again. Emma pawed at his drawstrings for a moment before untying them slowly and moving back to pull his pants off. He only had his boxers on now and Emma was left wearing her black panties. She kissed him and left trails of hot kisses down his chest as she shocked him by putting her teeth on his boxers.

"These…need to…go."

Emma took her teeth off his boxers and quickly pushed them down his thighs. Will's mouth was once again left gaping wide as he was being exposed to the forward side of Emma. He noticed she would have brief moments of hesitation with him but he watched now as her eyes darkened and desire took over. She stared for a moment at him and inhaled a deep breath, suddenly nervous at the size of his length.

"Y—you, um, Will…I don't…"

"Em…I…hold on,"

And Emma moved to let Will off of her as she kneeled on the bed waiting for him to come back. She smiled to herself, blushing as she openly watched the sight of his back muscles rippling as he moved and bent over to get something. Will quickly slipped on the little gift Puck had given him and silently thanked those boys for being boys.

"Now…where were we?" Will quickly turned back to the bed and grabbed Emma's smiling face in his hands kissing her with every emotion he'd ever held back.

_All of those times he'd watched her leave the school after staying late and wishing he could kiss her goodbye,_

_All of those times he'd "forgotten" his sack lunch just to sit closer as she offered her lunch to him._

_All of those times he let her cry into his shoulder through the difficult times and then wanted to kiss the tears away and pull her onto his lap making her forget all of her problems._

_All those times he wanted to rip open those cardigans and get prim little Emma all hot and bothered…_

Emma reciprocated his kiss with equal force and passion, letting all of her fears and anxieties wash over and float away as he pushed her back onto the bed and began kissing down her neck and sucking at her breasts…

"Oh, gosh…Will, you—I,"

He pulled back, knowing her thoughts and looked her in the eyes and then kissed her softly on the tip of her nose as her eyes fluttered shut.

"There's nothing to be afraid of…Emma, I will go as slow or as fast as you need me to…o—ok?"

Emma didn't open her eyes but she nodded at him and that was enough.

He worked his way down her body with his mouth enjoying every area and stopped at her panties. His thumbs worked beneath them and he let the elastic smack against her skin once before removing them completely and rubbing down near her inner thighs in anticipation.

Emma's legs shook as she whimpered impatiently and called out his name multiple times,

"Will, Will…oh please… oh please Will,"

"..Please… what Emma…tell me what you want…"

Her eyes shot open and she bit her lip down before letting the words fall out of her mouth.

"I want you Will, I want you in me right now…God please, please I need you. I…I've dreamed about this for—for years…"

Will looked stunned as Emma's cheeks flushed a crimson red and then he moved to where he was lying on top of her and kissed her softly as he entered in slowly…

Emma groaned into his kiss as her eyebrows shot up and her nose scrunched as he moved into her and she let out a small, anxious smile as he pulled back.

"You're so beautiful, Emma…I—I can't say it enough, you're just so …so perfect.."

He moved in and out of her slowly and she began adjusting and grabbed at his backside, suddenly she kissed him to hide her moans that were beginning to grow louder and he moved back,

"You don't have to hide that from me, Emma…I—I want to hear you. You have to trust me…I" but he stopped his sentence and focused on pleasuring her more.

Emma let out a breath she'd been holding in as he began sliding into her faster and harder…

Her legs wrapped tightly around him and she bucked her hips at him, wanting more.

"God yes, yes… Will, harder…please."

He grew more consumed and turned on by her as she slowly let go of her inhibitions and trusted him with everything. He moved quicker as he felt her muscles tightening around him as she was coming closer to the edge.

Emma could feel beads of sweat dripping off his chest onto hers as their bodies moved together as one and she kissed him when suddenly he moved his head back while still pushing into her. He wanted to tell her finally. She needed to know he could share his love for her out loud.

"I…lov…I—oh Emma, I'm so lucky to have…you…" he barely got out the last part as he was coming closer now with her and sinking into her breathlessly. He couldn't do it.

"I'm…oh, oh Will it's…I'm coming close."

He watched as her eyes were held shut and her mouth curved into a hidden smile. She held a reserved beauty that he'd never seen before during sex, an innocence that overflowed out of her even in a heated moment.

"You don't know how beautiful you are,"

Emma met his eyes for a moment and smiled as he kissed her over and over whispering sweet things into her ear. She felt her muscles shaking in her body uncontrollably now and her orgasm was coming fast.

"Everything we've been through…leading up to this moment…I—I love…" she didn't finish the sentence as he gave one final hard push into her. A small tear of joy rolled off her cheek onto the cream sheets as her head rested back onto the bed.

Will fell on top of her chest and they didn't move for a moment, just enjoying the contact and intimacy in shared sweat and desire.

He looked up at Emma who's bangs were sticking to her forehead from the sweat and moved her hair back kissing near her jaw line.

"Emma, I…I love you. I love you so much,"

She let out the biggest grin Will had ever seen plastered on her face and gave him a small, sweet kiss before pulling back slightly and looking down at his lips and then into his eyes.

"I love you too, Will. I really do, It…it feels so good to finally say that out loud."

Will pulled out of her and Emma pulled him close, wrapping her leg around his so their bodies were still intertwined as they lay on their sides together.

"It feels incredible to finally tell you that I love you. Emma. I know I was angry and confused for awhile but…with you, here right now, it just feels so right. I love you, god I love saying that."

Emma laughed and placed her hand over his hand lingering along her hipbone.

"Will, you're an amazing man…I—I don't know how I ever got so lucky getting you. But I'm glad I did. If it wasn't for this trip…I honestly don't know how else I would've told you how I feel or—or let this…this happen between us."

"We'll have to thank these kids someday for setting us up on the trip. Honestly, everytime they mentioned us in the same bed together I only got embarrassed because—because it's what I was thinking too…and hoping you were thinking…"

Emma moved to wrap her arms around his body as she hugged him close.

"Will, I…I was."

He snuggled up close to her, holding her head in his hands and kissed her tenderly on the forehead again as they lay together.

"How about we actually get some sleep tonight, huh?"

Emma grinned as she let her fingers trace small circles along his chest.

"I…I'd like that. Oh and Will..

"Hmm..?"

"I love you…I—I know I just said it.. but, but,"

"I love you too Emma."

And she let out a sigh of happiness realizing just how much he understood her and how wonderful those words sounded coming from him. She rested her head down on his chest quickly falling into a peaceful sleep and Will followed her soon after.

* * *

**A/N: One more chapter to go and it is going to be quite a treat. Some special things will be revealed so stick with us! Reviews are like chocolate covered strawberries ;)**


	6. This Day is Ours

**A/N: We bring you the final chapter of Giving In! It's quite a treat. Thanks for all the reviews, lovelies! :)**

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Sunlight filtered through the crème curtains of the hotel room and Will slowly stirred as he felt the light reach his eyes.

He rubbed his eyes and then looked down at the lovely girl wrapped closely around him. Emma's soft red hair was sprawled across his chest and one hand was lying on his chest with the other by his side. He looked down to see her still sleeping naked in his arms and a big smile spread across his face.

They had _finally_ taken the next step. And Emma Pillsbury was his.

He stayed there for a few moments just rubbing his hand along the smooth skin of her back and closed his eyes taking in everything that had happened the night before. After about ten minutes of watching her sleep, Will finally saw Emma's eyes flutter open.

"Hi …" he leaned down to kiss the top of her head and she leaned up to meet his eyes shyly.

"…hey." Emma couldn't contain the grin that spread across her face and she ducked her head down again into his chest.

She was still trying to comprehend what exactly had happened between the two of them the night before.

Will sensed her nervousness and rubbed her back soothingly as he started to sing in a quiet, low voice.

_"Unforgettable in every way_

_And forever more, that's how you'll stay_

_That's why, darling, it's incredible_

_That someone so unforgettable_

_Thinks that I am unforgettable too"_

Emma lifted her head up again as the singing stopped and leaned forward just an inch or so from his lips. She hesitated looking up to see his eyes, but only for a moment before closing the gap and kissing him softly.

Will let his hands glide along her back and up into her hair as he deepened the kiss.

Pulling away briefly, Emma whispered to him.

"I'm so in love with you…"

As if she was finally setting free a small piece of her heart she'd pushed down and suppressed for three years, Emma felt truly beautiful in his eyes.

"And I'm so in love with you. Em, last night was—"

"—amazing."

"I was gonna say phenomenal, but…amazing works too."

Emma looked down again and flipped over to lean her back into his chest as their hands were intertwined and Will traced small circles across her exposed hip.

"Will…I know it's—it's silly but, I'd never had…um…well, I've never come before during sex... until last night."

Will stopped tracing circles on her skin and Emma shifted nervously in his arms. She hadn't intended on sharing that kind of information but it just sort of slipped out.

"Em, I…I'm glad y—you were able to feel comfortable enough around me to let that happen." He was unsure of what else to really say.

She turned to face him and blushed,

"Of course I feel comfortable with you…honestly, I don't think you understand how much I've wanted... that with, you."

He couldn't contain the grin that spread across his face and kissed her on the forehead before pulling back,

"Can…can I ask you something? How long exactly have you…you know, had feelings like that for me?"

She sighed at the question, hoping the answer wouldn't upset him.

"Will, I fell for you the first time I saw you. Gosh, I—I don't let people into my life very easily, people don't normally.. get me. They kind of write me off so it's just easier to settle but…I wanted you so much, I felt a connection I guess you could say. But—you know, you were married and it just got complicated because I knew I didn't want to be the cause of any divorce."

Will laid intently listening to her as Emma still lay on his chest facing away from him.

"The…the first time I had sex was actually the last time I'd had sex before…last night. I was 22 and it was my senior year in college. I had been dating this guy for about 2 months and, and he wasn't even really special, we just…it just happened. I wasn't ready and I didn't think he was going to wait around much longer…I'm—I'm so embarrassed. I was just thinking about how badly I wanted to take a shower the whole time…"

Will's heart broke hearing about the first experience she'd ever had. He moved so she was cradled into his arms with his back leaning against the frame of the bed. Looking down into her watery eyes, he kissed her over and over.

"You didn't deserve that Emma…you deserve the best, the very best. I'm sorry you've had to experience something like that. Sex should be about two people who are in love and ready for that next step…I'm.. so sorry."

Emma closed her eyes feeling his whispered words of comfort and love and let a tear fall down her cheek.

"It's—it's ok Will. Because it got me to where I am today and…you know, right now is better than anything I could've imagined."

He didn't say a word, just pulled her in for a soft, tender kiss and tried to show her all of his feelings. Emma's hands moved to cup the sides of his face and kissed him back with everything she felt inside of her.

Will pulled back reluctantly and smiled before checking the clock.

"It's already 10 and I said we were leaving at 11. The kids are gonna start wondering why we got around so slowly in a little while. As much as I just want to stay here with you in this bed all day, we gotta get up."

Emma sighed and agreed it was time to start moving around. She moved out of his arms and slid out of the bed taking the sheet with her and covering herself.

"You know, you don't have to wear that around me…I mean, I saw a lot more of you last night."

She laughed and jokingly tossed a pillow at his head.

"Keep that attitude up and you won't see much the next time."

Will caught the words "next time" and it made his heart swell with happiness. He already wanted a next time, now.

"You know…we could probably make that next time…um, soon..if—if you want to."

Emma wanted to be with him now and her body was already jittery from the thought of his hands everywhere on her body and his talented tongue languidly moving across her sensitive areas—but she couldn't.

"I…I don't think it's a good idea to—to chance it with the kids up and around who could possibly, you know, um hear us…"

"We could be quiet…"

Will hopped off of the bed and pulled her into his arms as Emma dropped the sheet to reach her hands up into his hair and kissed him with a newfound passion.

She pulled back though and pushed him from her body.

"W—Will, I want this…believe me, I do. But we…we have time for that later. I don't want the kids getting any glimpse of…of us making love, it—it's private."

He smiled at her reasoning of keeping sex with him so sacredly beautiful and private. Just when he didn't think he could fall any harder for her, he did. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he kissed her on the cheek and moved towards the bathroom.

"I'll hurry so you can have time to get ready!" he called over his back before closing the door to take a shower.

Emma put her hand to her cheek still feeling the sensations of his soft, wet lips on her skin and her heart fluttered.

She couldn't wipe the joy off her face as she delicately placed her belongings into her bag and decided she could muster enough courage to wear the same pencil skirt she'd worn yesterday unless she wanted to wear Will's shirt again.

Picking up the shirt, her mind drifted back to the night and all the promises of love and happiness he had given her in between kisses. Emma put it into her bag and decided she would wash it at home tonight.

Contemplating what exactly would happen when her and Will arrived in Lima again, Emma shook the nervous thoughts out of her brain. She wanted this to work with him so badly.

She no longer had to go home crying herself to sleep or watching "It's A Wonderful Life" just to put a smile on her face, and no more sanitizing and thumbing through magazines in the aisles of Barnes and Noble to figure out how to make herself sexy in front of Will. She realized last night that he found perfect satisfaction just seeing her for who she was.

And that's when Emma's head started spinning.

She bent down and unzipped her pencil skirt before kicking it off and headed towards the bathroom door. It was unlocked and Emma quietly stepped in. She glanced over at the counter and Will's iphone was playing a soft, slow song called "Breathe Me" by Sia…one of her favorites.

The steam had already built up around her and she tip-toed through Will's belongings to pull back the shower curtain.

He was faced away from the shower head and jumped when he felt Emma's hands glide up his abs as her naked body clung to his from behind.

"Em—Emma, what're you doing?"

He turned to find Emma smiling mischievously and shook her head a little.

"I don't know but I couldn't stand being out there with you in here naked and getting all clean…without me."

His eyebrows shot up and his mouth dropped at her comments. Will was dumbfounded. She was perfect, standing in front of him with her arms loosely held at her sides with water dripping off her body and her big eyes yearning for him. She bit down on her lip waiting for some sort of response.

"Emma, you… are honestly the most beautiful and intriguing person I have ever met."

He didn't wait for her reply as he dropped the bar of soap he was holding and pulled her hips to his kissing her with desire and passion. Emma scratched at his back and Will groaned into her kiss pushing her against the wall and working his tongue over her neck and down her collarbone.

"Will, please. I need you again…now. I—I've waited too long …too long.."

And he didn't speak a word, just nodded his head and picked her up, cupping her ass in his hands tightly and pushed her against the wall harder this time and Emma's legs clung to his waist immediately.

"Oh…Oh please, Will. Touch me…touch me everywhere."

He nodded again, not being able to really form any sentences as Emma begged for his touch. She was more vocal this time than last night and it only made Will desire her more. Emma grinded her hips against him pressing into his stomach in her impatience and he yelled out her name.

She kissed his jaw line, loving how her name fell off his tongue so naturally and yet so hoarse and deep.

"I love you Will…I love you…"

He didn't wait any longer and moved to slide into her hard and rough.

Emma called out his name and bit down on her lip again to keep from yelling more incoherent thoughts as he pushed in and out harder each time.

Her breathing grew heavy and labored as Will reached out to pump some body wash into his hands and worked his hands over her breasts.

"All…clean, my darling…" He moved his hands down in between them grabbing her ass again and she tossed her head back into the wall with a bang.

Emma closed her eyes and muttered "shit" and Will pulled back.

"I—I've never heard you curse before. It's…kinda turning me on even more."

She just shot him a bashful smile and her lips quivered as he pushed into her faster now, increasing his pace and watching her every move as she gripped the back of his neck. This time around, he knew every spot that made her jerk and jump and Emma was surprised he learned so quickly.

Her legs tightened around his waist as he moved deeper and Emma was reaching the edge fast.

"Will…you're amazing. God, you're so perrr—fect."

She choked out the last part as they both came and Will continued kissing into her wet hair and down her neck.

"I love you Emma, you've made me the happiest man."

He slowly eased out of her and set her down to stand as she wrapped her arms around him and they stood there in the water as it continued cascading down and off their bodies.

After a few minutes and the last of Will's ipod playlist ended, Emma moved back giving him a final soft kiss.

"C'mon, let's get ready so we can head home."

And he agreed, and already looked forward to the idea of going 'home' with Emma.

They dried off and tried not to distract one another with kisses as they packed up their belongings.

As Emma was brushing her teeth in the bathroom with a brand new toothbrush she'd bought on the way up the night before, there was a banging on the door.

She glanced over the room quickly making sure it didn't look like her and Will had been having sex in there as she adjusted the sheets on the bed and Will moved to answer the door.

"Mr. Schue, umm…Rachel sent me here because she said we need to leave in like 8 minutes or we won't reach a certain destination at the right time. Is..is deination even a word?"

Will let out a small laugh before reassuring Brittany that is was a word and told her they would be out and ready in two minutes.

Brittany nodded and he shut the door, turning to tell Emma they had to leave.

"You know, we could…we could stay at my place tonight, um, if you want…I—I know it's probably too soon but—"

Will hushed Emma with his finger and brushed his lips lightly along hers.

"That sounds amazing, Em."

She grinned and they picked up their belongings heading for the door.

Will opened the door and let Emma out before closing it behind them.

"Oh—before we reach the kids, um, …I-I love you, Will."

He smiled with that lopsided grin in amazement at how much they wanted to say it to one another and repeated it back to her and pulled her in for a kiss grabbing her to him. Emma curled her arm around his neck to deepen the tender kiss and lightly bit down on his lip.

Just then, hollering and clapping filled the hallway as they pulled apart quickly to see every Glee kid watching them with delight.

Emma blushed a deep crimson and Will moved back grabbing his neck and avoiding all eyes.

"It's about time mom and dad got together," Artie piped up.

They looked at one another and realized the glee kids would figure out eventually.

"Yeah, we saw that coming a mile away Mr. Schue. You and Ms. P are pretty much Brangelina."

Will and Emma cringed at Santana's choice of reference, but felt relieved they didn't have to hide it from them at all. Will grabbed Emma's hand and looked around to everyone gleaming at them.

"S'you…you guys knew all along huh?"

"Dude, it's so obvious. You're not that sly, Mr. Schue. Why else would I hit your pocket with the special gift? For kicks and giggles?"

The guys all laughed at Puck's remark and the girls looked around in confusion while Will and Emma dropped hands shifting awkwardly now. They were glad the kids knew about their relationship, but not _everything _about their relationship.

Will, in fact, did have Puck to thank for that gift. He glanced at Puck with a smug smile and they both knew now he'd used it.

"Alright, let's uh, head downstairs and get checked out ok? C'mon let's go,"

Will urgently pushed them towards the elevator hoping to make Emma feel more comfortable. She looked over, silently thanking him as they waited for the kids to all filter in and told them they'd take the next one down.

Everyone cooed and winked as the doors slowly shut.

"—they definitely did it. More than once."

"How do you know, Mohawk boy?" Mercedes retaliated.

"The question is how do you idiots not know? Ms. P had the morning after glow and Mr. Schue was definitely feeling the heat when I mentioned the condom. He tapped that ginger."

"I agree with Puck, it's obvious they have quite a special bond. We've all seen it from the beginning and I have a gift for seeing true love." Rachel stated with her arms crossed defiantly.

Everyone rolled their eyes but agreed, they remember the moment it became clear and the moment it got complicated as well.

_Matt and Mike were in the glee room rehearsing a new hip-hop number when Emma rushed in with a Tupperware container. The rest of the kids huddled in from the room that joined the glee room at they all stared at her, stopping their number._

_"What's up, Ms. P?"_

_ Emma looked around the room quickly, and her brow knitted in confusion._

_ "Uhm, w—where's um Mr. Schuester?"_

_ "Oh, you just missed him. He rushed out pretty quick about 5 minutes ago…"_

_Emma's face fell and they looked at one another concerned. Emma had texted Will earlier that day telling him she had a special treat to cheer him up. She had been doing little things like that for him since the divorce papers were finalized a few weeks ago. Terri drained all the happiness out of him and Emma was more than willing to replace it with care and love until they were ready to take the next step._

_"Did you need something, we could uh, pass it along tomorrow?"_

_"No, no, you know it's fine. I—I guess he must have forgot."_

_ She shuffled towards the door and the kids all hushed and whispered theories about why she was holding a large tray of chocolate chip cookies in a Tupperware container that happened to be boxed inside another Tupperware container._

_ Matt and Mike were coaxed into checking out the situation as they followed quietly behind Emma who was headed back to her office._

_She reached the doors and let out a laugh as she saw Will sitting across from her desk with his hands in his lap obviously waiting for her return._

_"I…I thought you'd forgotten about my text…"_

_"Of course I didn't forget, Em. What's that you got there?"_

_ "Oh um, gosh well I just…wanted to do something special for you. Ah, here.."_

_ Will smiled as Emma's nervous hands opened the first box to reveal a smaller box that held over two dozen cookies inside._

_ "Wow, thank you. You know, it's…it's nice to have some home-cooked foods in the apartment since I've been living on macaroni and cheese for a few weeks now."_

_ Emma just nodded and watched him take two at a time in his mouth._

_"…good?"_

_"Perfect, thank you again. These are amazing, you know, maybe we could cook together sometime?"_

_"I…I'd like that a lot, Will."_

_Will grinned and loved the way she said his name with her southern accent, sometimes it almost slipped out like "wheel" and he loved the way her mouth curved up into a smile when she said it too._

_Matt and Mike watched the two intently trying to make out what they were saying when they watched Mr. Schue reach out and pull Ms. P into a tight hug. He pulled back after a minute and looked into her eyes and the boys thought they were going to kiss—but then Ms. P fidgeted and moved backwards bumping into the chair and the moment was gone._

"I can certainly recall the moment we all thought they were done for though, that was pretty hard on me and my two gay dads who I shared the story with. Those two were nearly heartbroken and depressed…"

_"M—Ms. Pillsbury, is…is that you?"_

_Rachel pushed open the stall door just as Ms. Pillsbury had done on her the day she thought Rachel was throwing up on purpose. Ms. Pillsbury was sitting on the toilet fully clothed and sobbing into her own little arms._

_"R-r-rachel, I'm so sorry…um, can, can you please just let me be for right now, please?"_

_She looked down at the crying woman and realized this must have been some tragedy because she'd never seen tears fall down Ms. Pillsbury's face, or even so much as a negative comment about anything._

_"I—I'm sorry, I'll leave you alone. I hope things work out."_

_And she shut the door._

"—Um sorry Barb, I recall being the one to catch Ms. P's little heartbreak moment and telling you guys about it."

"Yeah, you just caught the aftermath... Santana saw it."

Santana had in fact witnessed the first instance of Emma flinching at Will and the moment that they started to drift post-Sectionals as a result of waiting for Terri and Will's divorce to finalize. He was stressed out for awhile and they all noticed Emma's rather depressing behavior as well.

_Santana had just walked out of her lab as she finished up a quiz that she'd blown off the other day to skip class when she saw Emma and Will's voices echoing off the walls in the teacher's lounge._

_Her eyes squinted together as she focused, trying to hear what they were saying on the other side of the wall._

_"—Emma, it's NOT that big of a deal. I just…I don't want anything to do with Terri anymore ok, it has nothing to do with you."_

_"Right, right…so you just telling her you don't want any of those old baby clothes you'd bought, or-or the little mic you bought because you'd moved on has nothing to with me? Will, I—I told you I didn't want to be a part of…a part of the divorce at all. I wanted you to figure things out for yourself. You need to take a step back and—"_

_"Stop telling me what I can and can't do! I—I can't take this, this thing where you treat me like a student and tell me how life is. I know how it is Emma, ok? I've lived and seen things and I know that just because I don't want any of the old baby clothes for a child that was never real doesn't mean I moved on because of YOU! You have nothing to do with that part of my life!"_

_Will's voice was raised and Santana hadn't heard it shake like that since he yelled at Sue when she had tried to split up the glee kids. She scooted closer trying to get a peak around the wall but stopped suddenly when she heard Emma letting out a whimper._

_"I—I'm so sorry Emma, I didn't mean that…I didn't mean any of that, I'm just so angry and Terri—she just gets to me. I'm sorry, please—"_

_Santana finally moved around to see the two standing a good foot away from one another and Emma's eyes were filled with tears as Will held outstretched arms._

_He moved closer and Emma jumped back._

_"No—don't—don't touch me. I…I can't keep doing this. I, I don't know what you want me to do. I…I'm not going to be that girl, Will. I can't handle all of…this."_

_Will retreated his hands immediately and Emma quickly brushed past him as Santana hid behind the doorway._

_After that day, the kids all noticed a change in both of them and as much as they tried to figure out more—it seemed Mr. Schue and Ms. P had tried things away from one another and they didn't catch anymore moments since._

The bus arrived finally as everyone moved their bags underneath and high-fived each other noticing they got to ride a charter bus back to the school.

"Nice work, Mr. Schue. Now we can watch The Hangover on the way back."

"Hangover? Honestly, the people I have to deal with on a daily basis just amazes me. My own inner strength shocks me more than my fashion sense sometimes."

Kurt stated as he flipped his hair back and moved to get on the new, clean bus.

All of the kids seemed more united and sat closer together as the sunshine filtered into the bus.

The sun was out and the day was new…and Will and Emma sat one seat in front of Rachel and Finn who were at the front of the kids group and Will pulled Emma close into his arms.

Emma looked down and snuggled into his embrace as he whispered, "it's all going to be ok. The day is beautiful, and it's ours to enjoy together."

Her mouth gaped open as he kissed the top of her head and looked out the window.

Emma was instantly brought back to the time she'd got 3rd place in the elementary school beauty pageant and was terribly disappointed.

"_Sugar, it's nothing to be disappointed about. You know how many girls entered just to try to compete? You made it, darlin' and you did wonderful. I've never heard the Claire De Lune played so beautifully."_

_Seven years old and a heart full of disappointment couldn't be revived by just words._

_Emma's bouncing red curls pulled back into a yarn ribbon flipped as she looked out the window avoiding her dad's eyes. _

_"Daddy…I just, I really wanted this. I guess, I just thought I was pretty enough."_

_He moved to grab Emma's hand and she held it but still looked away._

_"Now you listen to me. You are the prettiest little girl and I'm not just sayin' that kinda stuff cause I'm your dad. I know it, nobody's got eyes or a heart like yours. I told your mom years ago when you were just learning to walk that you'd be a beauty someday. And I was right. Emmy, don't let this get you down."_

_She finally turned to face her dad and smiled,_

_"Ok, thanks daddy…but—do you think, maybe we could get ice cream today? I mean I did…I did get the trophy for being "miss friendly" you know."_

_Emma's dad reached across his Ford pickup truck and kissed his little angel on the head."_

_"Of course we can Emmy, it's all gonna work out. This day is beautiful and it's ours to enjoy."_

"Will, thank you…thank you so much."

Will looked down at Emma who's tears were brimming at her eyes as she smiled a big toothy grin at him.

"Em, a—are you alright?"

"I'm just perfect, absolutely perfect. It's all going to be alright now that I've got you by my side."

He hugged her close to him and Emma rested her head on his shoulder as she drifted into a peaceful sleep feeling a brand new hope.

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**A/N: Well that's it for Giving In... Sad, but we hope you liked the ending! Please review so we can reach 100!! and more hopefully! ;) Andddd we've got another fic baby lined up that we think you will surely enjoy.**


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